18-Year-Old Kaylee Hottle's Real Character Comes to Light as Hollywood Stars Send in Tributes
- Several Hollywood stars have paid tribute to actress Kaylee Hottle following her sudden death
- The 18-year-old died in a single-vehicle car crash in Maryland earlier this week
- Millie Bobby Brown led an outpouring of love and grief from her former co-stars
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Several Hollywood stars, including Millie Bobby Brown, have taken to social media platforms to offer insight into the character of Kaylee Hottle following her passing.
Source: Twitter
The 18-year-old died in a single-vehicle car crash in Maryland earlier this week.
Hottle was travelling as a passenger when the crash occurred in Ijamsville at around 2:50 am local time on Tuesday.
A statement by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said excessive speed is believed to have contributed to the collision.
The 19-year-old driver was taken to the hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening, while a second passenger declined treatment at the scene.
Hottle's father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed her death in a video statement posted to Facebook in American Sign Language, while her mother, Ketsi Hottle, shared her own tribute on Instagram, captioned, "Privilege to be your mom, Kaylee Hottle."
Millie Bobby Brown leads tributes to former co-star
Millie Bobby Brown, who starred alongside Hottle in 2021's Godzilla vs Kong, was among the first to publicly mourn her.
The pair appeared together in the monster blockbuster, which pitted Godzilla against King Kong as the two creatures clashed over the fate of humanity, with a cast that also included Alexander Skarsgård, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González and Kyle Chandler.
Brown shared a black-and-white photo of Hottle to her Instagram Story, writing that she was devastated by the news.
She added that Hottle would be deeply missed, a sentiment echoed by several of their former castmates in the hours that followed.
Brown wrote:
"I'm so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee."
An Instagram video by the BBC showing some compiled tributes for Kaylee Hottle is below.
More co-stars pay tribute to Kaylee Hottle
Beyond Brown, several other members of the Godzilla vs Kong cast shared their own tributes.
YEN.com.gh compiled some of the messages shared online, via the BBC.
Rebecca Hall, who starred alongside Hottle in both films, wrote:
"My heart goes out to your family. You will be missed, Kaylee."
Eiza González said:
"I'm devastated. I adore you. I know heaven has the sweetest, kindest girl. We will miss you terribly."
Legendary Pictures, the studio behind the franchise, described Hottle as a cherished part of the production, saying her portrayal of Jia brought extraordinary heart and light to the films.
Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin also paid tribute, saying she was gutted by the loss of "sweet Kaylee Hottle" and hoped her beauty and talent would be remembered for eternity.
Kaylee Hottle's legacy as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong
Kaylee Hottle's legacy as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong
YEN.com.gh earlier reported on Hottle's path into the franchise.
Casting agents first noticed her in a commercial for a video relay service designed for deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired users, which led to her being cast as Jia, a deaf orphan who forms a close bond with Kong, in the 2021 film.
Sign language was central to how she communicated on set, and both Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgård reportedly learned ASL so they could interact with her between takes.
Source: YEN.com.gh
