Godzilla X Kong actor Kayleigh Hottle dies in car crash at age 18
Kayleigh Hottle, who played Zia in the Godzilla films, has died at the age of 18 after a car accident in Maryland. Her father confirmed the news on Facebook.
Kayleigh Hottle, deaf actor best known for playing Gia godzilla vs kong And Godzilla x Kong: The New EmpireDied at the age of 18. His father, Joshua Hottel, announced the news in a Facebook livestream in American Sign Language and later confirmed it. tmz That he died in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.
The Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottel was a senior, also confirmed her death in a statement shared on social media. Hottel and his father were both deaf and came from a multi-generational deaf family.
“It is with great sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away in a car accident yesterday in Frederick, Maryland,” the school said.
It added, “Our hearts go out to Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time. At this time, we have very limited information and we ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee’s family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident.”
Hotal made her acting debut as Jiya in 2021 godzilla vs kong. His character, a deaf orphan who shares a unique relationship with Kong, became one of the emotional anchors of the film. He reprized the role in 2024 Godzilla x Kong: The New EmpireEarning a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor.
talking to The Daily Moth In 2021, Hottle reflected on the challenges of performing in American Sign Language (ASL), explaining that translating dialogue while remaining true to the script is often complex.
“I was okay at memorizing the script and signing my lines, but the hard part was signing the ‘spoken’ parts because we had to change it, and sometimes they would tell us it was wrong, but they didn’t understand that ASL changes almost everything because the interpreter said exactly what I said. The producer and director would sometimes say, ‘Don’t say that’ and wanted me to follow the script, but the signs for that sentence in ASL would be different, ” he said.
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