Godzilla star Kaylee Hottle, killed in car crash in Maryland, her father says | Ents & Arts News

US actress Kaylee Hottle, 18, who starred in two Godzilla movies, has died in a car crash in Maryland, her father has announced.

Joshua Hottle confirmed the news in a tearful Facebook livestream on Tuesday, in which he used American Sign Language (ASL) as the Hottle family is all-deaf.

The post was headlined: “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take”, as he travelled from Texas to Maryland.

Her mother, Ketsi, also shared a post in ASL which featured a selfie with her daughter as the cover photo, and wrote: “Privilege to be your mom, Kaylee Hottle.”

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland said in a statement on its website that Hottle was a passenger in a single-vehicle collision in the town of Ijamsville, west of Baltimore, just before 3am on Tuesday.

A 1995 Honda Accord, driven by a local man aged 19 and carrying two passengers, went off a two-lane road, and “excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision”.

One of the passengers “was identified as Kaylee Hottle”, who was taken to a local area trauma centre, “where she was later pronounced deceased”.

The driver was taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, while the other passenger “declined medical treatment at the scene”.

Hottle attended the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) in Austin, where she was a senior, and the institution paid tribute to her.

The school shared a photo of her and wrote: “Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.

“Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together.”

Hottle played Jia in 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong, her feature film debut, appearing alongside stars such as Alexander Skarsgard and Millie Bobby Brown.

Jia, an orphaned deaf girl, formed a bond with giant great ape Kong by communicating with him in ASL.

She reprised the role three years later in the sequel, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.

Stranger Things star, Ms Brown, said she was “devastated” by posting a black and white picture of Hottle to her Instagram story.

Over the photo, the Emmy-nominated actress wrote: “You will be deeply missed Kaylee.”

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Marlee Matlin, who was the first deaf actress to win an Oscar for her role in Children Of A Lesser God, shared a photo on X of herself alongside Hottle.

She wrote: “I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle. May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity.”

Hottle often spoke about the inclusion of deafness in the entertainment industry.

She also appeared in several advertisements, including one promoting support for the deaf community in their pursuit of equal rights.