Rory Callum Sykes, a former Australian child star who was born with cerebral palsy and blindness, was killed by the massive Palisades fire last Wednesday.
According to Rory Sykes’ mom, Shelley Sykes, the 32-year-old former child star who was featured in the British television show “Kiddy Kapers,” died at the family’s home in Malibu.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son Rory Sykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken,” Shelley Sykes wrote in a Thursday post on X, formerly Twitter. Rory Sykes’ mother described him as a “wonderful son” and said that “despite the pain” he experienced from his cerebral palsy, he was still “enthused about traveling the world” with his mother.
Addressing the tragic death of her son, Sykes told Australia’s 10 News First, “He was my baby, and he died needlessly.”
Shelley Sykes explained that Rory Sykes lived in a guest house on the family’s Malibu estate and that the family lost communication as the Palisades Fire approached the area.
“Guess what didn’t work? 911 – all the phone lines were down,” Shelley Sykes said. “He said, ‘Mom, leave me,’ and no mom can leave their kid. I’ve got a broken arm; I couldn’t lift him. I couldn’t move him.”
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In Thursday’s post, Shelley Sykes explained 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.” Fox News reported that Sykes drove to a local fire station to get help but was told that the firefighters had “no water.”
“I said, ‘Oh my God, my son is locked in his room,” Sykes said. “When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground.”
Sykes explained that firefighters said her son died of carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of the wildfire. “He died with carbon monoxide poisoning rather than burning,” she said. “I didn’t want any pain for my baby.”
In her post on social media, Sykes said her son will be “incredibly missed” by her, his pet peacocks, and his fans across the globe. Sykes also shared a picture of her son on social media, along with a video of one of his pet peacocks.
As of Monday morning, Cal Fire reported that the Palisades Fire has burned 23,713 acres and is 14% contained. Fox News reported that five individuals have been reported dead as a result of the Palisades Fire, while many others have been killed in the other Southern California wildfires.
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