18-year-old Godzilla vs Kong actor Kaylee Hottle dies in a tragic car crash

Kaylee Hottle. Pic via Instagram

Actor Kaylee Hottle, who made it big with her role as Jia in Godzilla vs Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, has died at the age of 18. The news of her passing was announced by her father, Joshua Hottle, through a Facebook livestream using American Sign Language. Notably, Kaylee and her father are both deaf and come from a multi-generational deaf family. The grieving father also confirmed her death to TMZ, revealing that she died in a car accident in Maryland.

Kaylee Hottle dies

Joshua shared the tragic news in a 23-minute-long social live stream on Facebook, explaining that he had to fly from Texas to claim her body. He revealed that he learned his daughter was involved in a serious car accident. Soon after, officials called him to inform him that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.

Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a senior, also confirmed the news of her demise in a statement on social media.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland. Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time. At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee's family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident," the statement read.

About Kaylee Hottle

Kaylee was an Atlanta, Georgia native and came from a multi-generational deaf family. She started her acting journey by featuring in commercials when she was just 9 years old. She most famously appeared in a PSA for the live video messaging app Glide, which is used by the deaf and hard-of-hearing community,

Hottle gained widespread fame for playing Jia, a deaf orphan who forms a close bond with Kong in 2021's Godzilla vs Kong and 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. She is taken in by Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) in the films. Hottle was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a younger actor.

Kaylee is appeared in the Magnum P.I. reboot series, where she played a character named Joon in a season 4 episode.