Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress known for her role as Jia in the 2021 film "Godzilla vs. Kong" and its 2024 sequel "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire," has died at the age of 18. Hottle was involved in a car crash on the morning of July 21 in Maryland, according to her father, Joshua Hottle, who confirmed the news to TMZ.
Joshua Hottle shared the news of his daughter's passing through a livestream, describing in American Sign Language the necessity of traveling to Texas to retrieve her body. Hottle had previously worked on commercials, including a public service announcement for Glide, a video messaging application catering to the hard-of-hearing community, before her film debut.
In a 2021 interview with The Daily Moth, Hottle spoke about her character's unique connection with the character Kong, noting their mutual signing bond. She was cast as Jia in "Godzilla vs. Kong" in 2021 and reprised the role for "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire" in 2024.