‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ actor Kaylee Hottle dead at 18

Kaylee Hottle, who played a leading role in the action sci-fi films Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has died. She was 18.

Hottle’s school, Texas School for the Deaf, also confirmed her death, writing in a Facebook statement that she “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,” it continued.

The Guardian and The Washington Post also cited confirmation from her father, Joshua Hottle, in a video on Facebook in American Sign Language (ASL), as everyone in the Hottle family is deaf. “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” the video title reads.

Global News did not independently verify the translation of the video.

Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies and fire rescue services responded to a fatal single-vehicle collision in the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Md., at about 2:52 a.m. Tuesday.

“The preliminary investigation revealed that a 1995 Honda Accord, operated by a 19-year-old Frederick man, traveled off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert. Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” the release said.

Hottle was identified as a passenger in the vehicle and was pronounced dead after being transported to a local trauma centre, it added. Another passenger declined medical treatment, and the driver was transported to a local hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said.

Hottle was known for portraying Jia, a deaf orphan who bonds with Kong, in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong. She starred alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby Brown.