'Godzilla vs. Kong' Star Kaylee Hottle Dead at 18

'Godzilla vs. Kong' Actress Kaylee Hottle Dead at 18 Published July 21, 2026 7:02 AM PDT | Updated July 21, 2026 7:41 AM PDT Kaylee Hottle -- a deaf actress best known for playing Jia in two 'Godzilla' films -- is dead. Her father, Joshua Hottle, tells TMZ ... his daughter was killed in a car accident earlier this morning in Maryland. Joshua also shared the tragic news in a nearly 23-minute-long social live stream ... explaining in ASL that he had to fly from Texas to claim her body. Joshua says he learned Kaylee was involved in a serious car accident ... and officials called him shortly after this initial shock to inform him her heart stopped on the way to the hospital. Kaylee -- an Atlanta, Georgia native -- comes from a multi-generational deaf family. She got her start in commercials ... notably a PSA for the live video messaging app Glide, which is used by many members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, when she was just 9 years old. In 2021, Kaylee played Jia in "Godzilla vs. Kong" ... a teenager who communicates with King Kong via sign language and lives on Skull Island with Rebecca Hall's character Dr. Ilene Andrews. She reprised the role in the 2024 movie "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire." Kaylee is also credited with an appearance in the "Magnum P.I." reboot series ... playing a character named Joon in a season 4 episode. She was just 18 years old. RIP Related articles Movie Stars RIP Movies Celebrity Death Exclusive