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Hollywood is mourning the loss of a trailblazing young star.
Kaylee Hottle—a deaf actress known for her role as Jia in the Godzilla franchise—has died, her father Jonathan Hottle confirmed in a July 21 Facebook livestream. She was 19.
Alongside a video of Jonathan explaining the tragic circumstances in American Sign Language, he added in his video’s caption, “I am taking a flight I never would like to take.”
In ASL, Jonathan explained that his daughter was killed after getting in a car crash in Maryland in the early hours of July 21. Authorities contacted Jonathan shortly after to confirm Kaylee’s heart had stopped en route to the hospital from the crash site.
Jonathan explained he was at the airport, about to fly from Texas to claim his daughter’s body.
Under his post, several of their family’s loved ones shared their condolences and emphasized the impact Kaylee had made in her life and career.
“Kaylee was beyond her years,” one person wrote under Jonathan’s post, “and has a heart for everyone. I pray for your family to get through this most difficult time and I know Kaylee will always be with you all in spirit.”
Another told Jonathan how her CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults) were “looking up to your beautiful daughter.”
“They loved the movies she was in,” the commenter continued. “We would watch them repeatedly. My heart is broken for your family.”
Amy Sussman/FilmMagic
Kaylee came from four generations of deaf individuals in her family on her father’s side, and her father and mother were both deaf. She scored on the part of Jia—a deaf character who forms a bond with Kong by communicating in ASL—in the Godzilla franchise in 2021 with Godzilla vs. Kong after being discovered on the set of a commercial in 2017.
She later reprised her role in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire in 2024. She also starred in an episode of Magnum P.I.
While speaking about her budding acting career in 2024, she expressed hopefulness in the direction of deaf representation on screen.
“I see a lot of positive things,” Kaylee told Houston’s Chron in 2024. “There’s not a lot of deaf roles or opportunities out there. And so now we’re able, [and] I’m able to get them, and I think I’ve seen more and more growth and positivity.”
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