Millie Bobby Brown has paid tribute to her Godzilla vs. Kong co-star Kaylee Hottle following the young actress’s death in a car accident at just 18 years old.
“I’m so devastated to hear this,” Brown wrote on social media, sharing a black-and-white photo of Hottle from the 2021 blockbuster. “You will be deeply missed Kaylee.”
Hottle died in a fatal single-vehicle collision in Ijamsville, Maryland, in the early hours of 21 July.
According to a press release from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, the car she was travelling in left the road and struck a culvert, with excessive speed believed to be a contributing factor.
Her father Jonathan Hottle shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook in a message in American Sign Language, captioning it: “I am taking a flight I never would like to take.”
Hottle made her mark on Hollywood as the adoptive daughter of Rebecca Hall’s scientist character in Godzilla vs. Kong and its 2024 follow-up Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
She also had a guest appearance on Magnum P.I. in 2021.
Throughout her work, she brought visibility to the deaf community, she herself descended from four generations of hearing-impaired individuals, and her dedication to that cause was celebrated by fellow deaf actress Marlee Matlin, who paid tribute on Instagram.
“I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle,” Matlin wrote alongside a photo of the two together. “May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity.”
She was 18 years old.
