Wire flash
EntertainmentKaylee Hottle, 'Godzilla vs. Kong' Star, Dies at 18 in Car Crash
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Kaylee Hottle, the 18-year-old US actor best known for playing Jia in the recent Godzilla films, died in a car accident in Maryland early Tuesday morning. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office confirmed the crash, noting excessive speed as a contributing factor. Hottle was one of three passengers in the vehicle. She began acting at age nine, appearing in commercials before being cast as the deaf character Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and reprising the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), earning a Saturn Award nomination. She also appeared in an episode of the Magnum P.I. reboot. Her father, in a social media post in American Sign Language, expressed grief and gratitude for her 18 years. Tributes poured in from co-star Millie Bobby Brown and Oscar-winning actor Marlee Matlin, who said she was 'absolutely gutted' by the loss.
Source report
*Kaylee Hottle, best known for her role as Jia in the recent Godzilla films, has died at the age of 18.*
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Hottle died in a car accident in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Maryland. She was one of three passengers in the vehicle.
According to the sheriff’s office, “excessive speed” was a contributing factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Acting Career
Hottle began her acting career at age nine, initially appearing in commercials and awareness campaigns. She was later cast as Jia in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong after casting director Sarah Halley Finn searched for a deaf actor to portray the role.
She reprised the role in 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, earning a Saturn Award nomination in the Best Performance By A Younger Actor category.
Outside of the blockbuster franchise, Hottle also appeared in an episode of the Magnum P.I. reboot.
Family and Tributes
In a social media post delivered in American Sign Language, Hottle’s father said that her mother and four siblings had been “crushed” by the news of her death.
“They are together at home, grieving. I am on my way to Maryland to bring Kaylee’s body back home,” he explained, noting that he was “very grateful for the 18 years we had together” but wished “we had more.”
Godzilla star Millie Bobby Brown was among the first to pay tribute, writing on Instagram: “I’m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee.”
Marlee Matlin, the Oscar-winning actor and prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf, said she was “absolutely gutted” by Hottle’s death.
“May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity,” Matlin added.
Source
HuffPost UK - Athena2 - All Entries (Public)Western
Part of this Story
Kaylee Hottle, Godzilla vs. Kong Star, Dies at 18 in Car Accident