Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress who captured audiences with her portrayal of Jia in the Godzilla film series, has died after a tragic car accident in Maryland. She was 18.
The heartbreaking news was confirmed by her father, Joshua Hottle, who shared an emotional livestream on Facebook in American Sign Language (ASL) before speaking with TMZ. According to him, he was in Texas when authorities contacted him to say his daughter had been involved in a serious road accident.
Joshua said he later received another call informing him that Kaylee’s heart had stopped while she was being transported to the hospital. He immediately made plans to travel to Maryland to bring his daughter home.
Reflecting on the devastating journey ahead, Joshua captioned his Facebook livestream: “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.” The emotional video has since drawn an outpouring of condolences from fans and supporters.
Hottle rose to prominence after starring as Jia, the deaf adopted daughter of Dr Ilene Andrews, in Godzilla vs Kong (2021). She returned to the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), where her performance was widely praised for bringing authentic deaf representation to one of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster franchises.
Authorities have not yet released additional details about the crash, and the circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation.
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