Actress known for ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ dies at 19

(WJW) -- A young actress known for her roles in two recent "Godzilla" movies has died. Kaylee Hottle, 19, was killed in a car accident in Maryland, her father told TMZ on Tuesday, July 21. Joshua Hottle also shared the news in a Tuesday morning Facebook post. Through American Sign Language, he explained that he would be flying from Texas to Maryland after learning about the tragic accident. He said police called to tell him that his daughter had been involved in a crash. He soon got another call informing him that Kaylee's heart had stopped on the way to the hospital. “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” he captioned the video. According to TMZ, Kaylee came from a multi-generation deaf family and got her start in commercials, most notably for Glide, a live video messaging app used by members of the deaf community. In the 2021 film "Godzilla vs. Kong" and 2024's "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire," her character, Jia, communicated with Kong through sign language. She also appeared in the reboot of “Magnum P.I.” in 2021, according to her IMDB page. Kaylee Hottle was also a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf, where counseling and support services were being offered to students and staff on Tuesday. "Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time," a post on the school's Facebook page said. The post called her death a "tremendous loss." Details about the crash are not known at this time.