Rory Sykes, 32, is one of the reported victims of the Los Angeles Wildfires.
Rory Sykes, a former Australian child actor and inspirational speaker, is one of the casualties of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Sykes, 32, was reportedly staying in a cottage on the family’s Malibu estate when the fire engulfed the property. According to 10 News First, fire officials confirmed to Shelley that her son Rory died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“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 heartbroken,” Rory’s mother, author Shelley Sykes, wrote on X Thursday, January 9. “He was a British-born Australian living in America, a wonderful son, a gift born on mine and his grandma’s birthday 29 July 92.”
Rory, who appeared alongside his mother in England’s Kiddy Kapers series from 1998-99, lived in Los Angeles in a cottage on this family’s 17-acre Mount Malibu estate and worked as a humanitarian, author and motivational speaker.
“I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water,” wrote Shelley. “Even the 50 brave firefighters had no water all day! He will be incredibly missed by his mama, his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie and all his online fans around the world!”
“Before his death, Rory overcame so much with surgeries and therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn to walk and was eager to travel the world despite the pain.”
“Rory was born blind with cerebral palsy & had difficulty walking,” Shelley continued. “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.”
As of Saturday morning, there were 11 confirmed dead across all Los Angeles fires — with more than 100,000 evacuation orders issued.
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