Godzilla vs. Kong star Kaylee Hottle has died at the age of 18, her father has revealed. The actress, who was deaf, was best known for playing Jia in the 2021 film and its sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, released in 2024. Her father, Joshua Hottle, announced the tragic news of her passing in a live stream on Facebook on Tuesday (July 21).

Joshua, who is also deaf, explained in American Sign Language (ASL) that he had to fly from Texas to Maryland to claim Kaylee's body after learning of her death. He revealed Kaylee had been involved in a serious car accident, with officials calling Joshua to tell him that his daughter's heart had stopped on the way to the hospital.

The actress was born to an all-deaf family in 2007 and became fluent in ASL. She attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas, before launching her acting career in 2017 with a commercial for the video relay service Convo.

She appeared in other commercials, but landed her big break when she was cast as Jia in the action monster film Godzilla vs. Kong, her feature-film debut.

Her character is able to communicate with King Kong via sign language, eventually forming a special bond with the giant ape.

She starred opposite Alexander Skarsgård and Rebecca Hall, who both learned ASL so they could communicate with Kaylee on set when the cameras weren't rolling.

She reprised the role of Jia in the film's sequel, and was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 52nd Saturn Awards in 2025.

Tributes have flooded in for Kaylee online, with one writing: "Such a talented young actress who brought so much heart to the Godzilla films."

Another shared: "Absolutely heartbreaking news. She was so talented and brought such incredible representation to the MonsterVerse films. Rest in peace."

A third echoed: "That’s awful, such a beautiful talented girl taken way too soon."

A fourth added: "Heartbroken to hear this, she lit up the screen and now we’ll keep her memory shining."

Someone else said: " Awww no!! This is absolutely devastating. I really wasn’t expecting this today. Sending love and prayers to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time."