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Deaf actress Kaylee Hottle - known for her role as Jia in two Godzilla movies - has passed away at the age of 18.
The Hollywood star's death was confirmed by her devastated father, Joshua Hottle, who told TMZ she was killed in a car accident in Maryland early on Tuesday, July 21. The distraught parent also shared the news via a 23-minute long livestream where he used ASL to explain that he had to fly from Texas to claim her body.
Joshua admitted that she was involved in a serious car accident before he was called and updated when her heart stopped on the way to the hospital. Kaylee - who hails from Atlanta, Georgia - was part of a multi-generational deaf family.
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She began her acting career by starring in commercials. One such role was for the live video messaging app Glide, which is popular with members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. She was just nine years old at the time.
Kaylee starred as Jia in 2021 movie Godzilla vs. Kong, where she played a teenager who communicates with King Kong via sign language. The character lived on Skull Island alongside Rebecca Hall's on-screen persona, Dr. Ilene Andrews.
She then reprised the role in the 2024 follow-up movie Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. Kaylee also starred as Joon in one episoide of season four of the Magnum P.I. reboot.
Kaylee was born in 2007 and, in a 2024 interview with Chron, described how she was scouted by casting director Sarah Halley Finn for her role in Godzilla after appearing in another advert, this time for the video relay service app Convo.
She said, "I had a connection with Convo. They asked me to be in a commercial one day, and so I did that commercial. And then the assistant director of [Kong: Skull Island] saw me, and they thought I matched the character description of Jia."
She also explained how she tackled the role adding, "I would read the script, and [director] Adam [Wingard] would explain to me exactly what he wanted me to do. And I also had my parents’ support and translation of the script, and I just brought it to life."
Kaylee's performance in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 52nd Saturn Awards.
In 2024 Kaylee was attending the Texas School For The Deaf. They shared a statement regarding her death on Facebook. It reads, "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."
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