‘Godzilla’ Actress Dead at 18 After Car Crash

Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress known for playing Jia in the "Godzilla" films, has died at 18, Fox News Digital confirmed.

According to Fox News, Hottle died Tuesday morning following a car ⚠️Accident in Maryland, according to her father, Joshua Hottle.

TMZ reported that her father said during an American Sign Language livestream that he traveled from Texas to claim his daughter's body.

Joshua Hottle said he was told Kaylee had been involved in a car ⚠️Accident. He later learned that her heart stopped while she was being taken to the hospital.

Hottle was born in Virginia into a multigenerational deaf family.

Before making her feature film debut, she appeared in commercials and advocacy projects focused on deaf awareness.

Her breakthrough came in 2021 when she was cast as Jia in "Godzilla vs. Kong."

The role made Hottle the first deaf actress to play a major character in the franchise's "MonsterVerse."

Hottle returned to the role three years later in "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire."

Her character's connection with Kong remained central to the story, and the sequel expanded Jia's role while continuing to showcase Hottle's use of sign language.