Credit: Warner Bros.
Godzilla Vs Kong Star Kaylee Hottle’s Cause Of Death Confirmed
Kaylee Hottle, who starred in Godzilla vs Kong and its sequel Kong: The New Empire, has tragically died at 18 years old.
The teen’s death was confirmed by her father Joshua, who shared a heartbreaking video on Facebook.
As the Hottle family are all deaf, the news was delivered in American Sign Language (ASL), with the video titled: ‘I am taking a flight that I never would like to take’.
Kaylee was born in Atlanta, Georgia, before going on to attend the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas. But her career as an actress began from a young age.
In 2017, Kaylee appeared in her first commercial, for video relay service Convo, when she was just nine years old.
She then went on to appear in a number of different commercials, as well as the 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message project promoting support for the deaf community and championing equal rights.
Kaylee Hottle’s standout role
Fans will best know Kaylee for her standout role in Godzilla vs Kong, in which she played one of the most important human characters, a girl named Jia.
This role also happened to be Kaylee’s first ever feature film and her movie debut.
Jia is the last known survivor of the Iwi people of Skull Island, which is the indigenous community introduced in the MonsterVerse.
After she lost her family, Jia was adopted by Dr Ilene Andrews, a Monarch scientist who is studying Kong.
Jia, like Kaylee, is deaf and communicates using ASL, with many fans praising the authentic casting for disability representation.
Interestingly, Jia is the only human Kong trusts, meaning the pair share a special bond, communicating through sign language.
Kaylee Hottle’s death announced
Kaylee’s tragic death was also shared by the Texas School for the Deaf, who wrote: “Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
The actress’ Godzilla co-star Rebecca Hall, who played her adoptive mother, also paid tribute by sharing two photos of them together on Instagram.
“Devastated to hear this news. My heart goes out to your family,” she wrote, adding: “You will be missed Kaylee.”
According to reports, Kaylee made quite an impact on her co-stars, with Rebecca and Alexander Skarsgård both choosing to learn ASL so they could communicate directly with her while on set.
The teen previously said: “I think some people see ASL and deafness as a barrier or a gift, but it’s just a language, and deaf is just deaf.
“We can do many things, just not hear. We need more deaf actresses and crew in the industry for people to see and normalize it.”
Cause of death confirmed
During the heartbreaking 23-minute long live stream, Kaylee’s dad Joshua shared that his daughter had died following a fatal car crash in Maryland.
Page Six obtained dispatch audio from Frederick County Sheriff, Fire and EMS, which revealed that first responders had arrived in the early hours of July 21, while requesting help in finding someone who knew sign language or had access to an interpreter app to communicate with Kaylee.
The audio also confirmed that Kaylee was ‘unconscious’ when emergency services arrived on the scene.
However, Joshua shared that authorities had informed him that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.
According to a preliminary investigation, authorities discovered that a 1995 Honda Accord driven by a 19-year-old male had veered off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert.
Excessive speed is believed to have been a factor in the fatal crash.
The driver was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening and another passenger declined medical treatment at the scene.
In a follow up video, Joshua said he ‘forgives’ the driver of the vehicle, despite losing his daughter.
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