'Godzilla x Kong' actress Kaylee Hottle dies at 19 after car crash

Kaylee Hottle, who starred in the hit blockbuster "Godzilla vs. Kong" and its sequel "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire", has died at the age of 19 following a car crash in Frederick, Maryland.

Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed her death in a video posted on Facebook using American Sign Language.

The video was titled, "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take."

The Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a senior student, also expressed deep grief following the tragic news.

"Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who loved her during this very hard time," the school said in an official statement.

Hottle gained international fame playing Jia, a deaf orphan who shares a unique emotional bond with Kong in the 2021 MonsterVerse film.

She reprised the role in the 2024 sequel, earning a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.

Her co-stars paid emotional tributes on social media following the announcement. Rebecca Hall, who played her character's adoptive mother, posted on Instagram that she was devastated and shared photos of the two on set.

Millie Bobby Brown also shared a tribute on social media to honour her co-star.

"I am so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed, Kaylee," Brown wrote.

To communicate directly with Hottle on set, cast members including Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgård learned American Sign Language. Hottle frequently used her platform to advocate for greater Deaf representation in cinema.

"ASL is just a language, and being deaf is just part of who someone is," Hottle stated during an interview. She added that she hoped to see more deaf actors and crew members across the film industry so audiences could better see and accept deaf culture.

Before her breakthrough in major films, Hottle appeared in several television commercials and guest-starred in an episode of the "Magnum P.I." reboot series.