LOS ANGELES: Actor Kaylee Hottle, best known for portraying Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has died at the age of 18, according to media reports.
Hottle reportedly died following a car accident. Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed her death during a livestream conducted in American Sign Language (ASL). According to TMZ, he said he was travelling to Maryland to identify his daughter’s body after being informed of the accident. The report added that Hottle’s heart stopped while she was being transported to hospital despite efforts to save her.
What was Kaylee Hottle known for?
Hottle gained international recognition for playing Jia, a deaf orphan who communicates with Kong using sign language, in the MonsterVerse films. Her performance was widely praised for increasing the visibility of deaf representation in mainstream cinema.
In addition to the Godzilla franchise, Hottle appeared in NBC’s Magnum P.I. and had the film What Doesn’t Kill Us listed in pre-production on IMDb. Tributes have continued to emerge following news of her death.