‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Star Kaylee Hottle Dies at 18

Tributes have flooded in from Hottle's former co-stars and the deaf community she represented on screen. The young actress's breakout role opposite Rebecca Hall made her a fan favorite years before her tragic death.

Kaylee Hottle, the former child star best known for her roles in the "Godzilla vs. Kong" franchise, has died. The young actress passed away following a fatal car accident in Maryland in the early hours of Tuesday, July 21, 2026. She was 18.

Hottle's father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the tragic news to TMZ that same day, telling the outlet that officials called him shortly after the crash to inform him her heart had stopped on the way to the hospital.

He later shared the heartbreaking update in a nearly 23-minute-long social media live stream, explaining in ASL that he had to fly from Texas to claim her body. "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take," he captioned the recorded footage.

In the hours since her death made headlines, new details surrounding the crash have emerged. Hottle reportedly died after the driver of the car she was riding in swerved off the road and struck a ditch at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

According to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, the young star was one of two passengers involved in the fatal collision on Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Maryland.

Authorities say a 19-year-old was behind the wheel of a 1995 Honda Accord when the vehicle "traveled off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert."

"Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision," the statement continued.

The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the other passenger declined medical treatment. Hottle, meanwhile, was rushed to a local trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead.

Hottle, who came from a multigenerational deaf family, was born in Georgia but raised in Austin, Texas, where she attended the Texas School for the Deaf before launching her acting career at age 9.

She first appeared in a commercial for Glide, a video messaging app widely used within the hard-of-hearing and deaf community. Her breakout role followed soon after, in the 2021 blockbuster "Godzilla vs. Kong," where she starred alongside Rebecca Hall, who played her adoptive mother.

In the film, the pair's characters live on Skull Island, and Hottle's character, Jia, communicates with King Kong through sign language — a dynamic that earned her a devoted fanbase drawn to the pair's unique bond. Following news of her passing, tributes have poured in across social media.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland," the Texas School for the Deaf wrote on Facebook.

"Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time."

Eiza Gonzalez, who played Maia Simmons in the first film, added her own tribute in the comments of Hall's post, "Beyond [devastated]. Our sweet Kaylee."

Millie Bobby Brown, who portrayed Madison Russell in the franchise, shared her own remembrance via Instagram Stories, posting a black-and-white still of Hottle from the film alongside the caption, "I'm so devastated to hear this. You will be missed, Kaylee."