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A mother is mourning the tragic loss of her child.
In an emotional post on X (Twitter), Shelley Sykes announced that her son Rory Sykes, who starred on the British 1990s show Kiddy Kapers, passed away in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on Wednesday. He was 32. She wrote:
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken. British born Australian living in America, a wonderful son, a gift born on mine & his grandmas birthday 29 July 92, Rory Callum Sykes. @rorysykes was the founder with me of @happycharity a true humanitarian. He saw him self as the number one fan of @Apple & @tim_cook & most importantly an avid @RuneScape gamer!”
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The mom went on to share that Rory “overcame” so much after being “born blind with cerebral palsy” and “had difficulty walking”:
“He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk. Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica. @rorysykes was a sought after inspirational speaker for @TonyRobbins when he was only 8 years old. @CallumsCure book first published by @simonschuster in Australia was about his courage.”
According to Shelley, the Australian actor had his own cottage on the family’s 17-acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate. But when the fires erupted in the Palisades and other areas in Los Angeles, it burned down. Sadly, her son was stuck inside. She said that she “couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water,” noting that “50 brave firefighters had no water all day!” She then recalled to 10 News First:
“He said ‘Mum, leave me’ and no mum could leave their kid. I’ve got a broken arm, I couldn’t lift him, I couldn’t move him.”
Absolutely heartbreaking. Unable to call 911, she drove “through the smoke” to her local fire station to get help. However, the firefighters had bad news for her – they informed her they also had “no water.” And by the time, they drove Shelly back home it was too late:
“When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground. He died with carbon monoxide poisoning rather than burning. I didn’t want any pain for my baby.”
Our hearts just break for her. No parent should ever have to experience something like this. 10 News First reported that Rory is not part of the official death toll yet. As of Saturday morning, there were 11 confirmed fatalities in the wildfires so far. You can see Shelley’s tribute and watch her interview (below):
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken. British born Australian living in America, a wonderful son, a gift born on mine & his grandmas birthday 29 July 92, Rory Callum… pic.twitter.com/X77xyk83gx
— Shelley Sykes (@shelleysykes) January 9, 2025
We’re sending our condolences to Shelley and anyone who lost a loved one in the fires. Rest in peace, Rory…
[Image via Shelley Sykes/X, 10 News First/YouTube]
English (US) ·