Godzilla vs. Kong star Kaylee Hottle dies aged 18

| Senior TV Reporter Published July 21, 2026 3:40pm Updated July 21, 2026 4:01pm Kaylee Hottle’s father has shared that the actress has died aged 19 (Picture: AFP via Getty Images) Godzilla vs. Kong star Kaylee Hottle has died aged 18 in a serious car accident, her father has revealed. The late actress, who was deaf, was best known for starring as Jia in two Godzilla films, the first in 2021. She then reprised her role for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. In the movies, she plays a teenager who lives on Skull Island with Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) as her adoptive mother and communicates with King Kong through sign language. In a 23-minute livestream on Facebook, later confirmed to TMZ, her dad, Joshua Hottle, shared in American Sign Language that she had died after being involved in a car accident in Maryland. He shared that officials informed him of the news, and he had flown out to Maryland to retrieve her body after officials called him to notify him that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital. The actress was born in 2007 and, according to a 2024 interview with Chron, was scouted by casting director Sarah Halley Finn for the Godzilla role after appearing in an ad for the video relay service app Convo. The actress is best known for her role in the Godzilla franchise (Picture: Bros Pictures/THA/Shutterstock) She appeared in the 2021 and 2024 movies (Picture: Warner Bros/Everett/Shutterstock) ‘I had a connection with Convo. They asked me to be in a commercial one day, and so I did that commercial. ‘And then the assistant director of [Kong: Skull Island] saw me and they thought I matched the character description of Jia,’ she told the publication. Talking about her creative process, she said at the time: ‘I would read the script, and [director] Adam [Wingard] would explain to me exactly what he wanted me to do. And I also had my parents’ support and translation of the script, and I just brought it to life.’ Deals of the Day Wuka launches the UK’s first period-proof swimwear for heavy flows Bridgerton fans are rushing to buy these new Netflix-inspired perfumes now £12 off The affordable summer wardrobe update you'll wear from rooftop drinks to beach holidays The £7.99 lip balm beauty fans love for glossy, hydrated lips just dropped four new shades This Keskine hydrogel mask could fix your summer skin She came from four generations of deaf family members on her father’s side. As of 2024, Hottle was attending Texas School for the Deaf. Arrow MORE: The Rubettes guitarist Tony Thorpe dies aged 80 after ‘failing health’ Arrow MORE: Long-time BBC broadcaster Edward Stourton who presented Radio 4 Today dies aged 68 Arrow MORE: 90s grunge band L7’s Jennifer Finch dies aged 59, days after confirming cancer diagnosis