Kaylee Hottle dies at 18 after a car crash in Frederick, Maryland, her father confirmed Tuesday. The Deaf actress played Jia in two “Godzilla x Kong” films.
Joshua Hottle confirmed his daughter’s death to TMZ and later addressed it during a Facebook livestream presented in American Sign Language. He said officials first told him that Kaylee had sustained serious injuries.
He later learned that her heart had stopped while emergency personnel were taking her to a hospital. Joshua said he was travelling from Texas to Maryland following the accident.
Hottle gained international recognition as Jia in Legendary Pictures’ “Godzilla vs. Kong” in 2021. Her character communicated with King Kong through sign language.
She reprised the role in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” in 2024 and also appeared in an episode of the television series “Magnum P.I.”
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Hottle came from a multigenerational Deaf family and attended the Texas School for the Deaf. The school issued a statement mourning the loss of one of its senior students.
