Former child star Rory Sykes has died at the age of 32 in a wildfire in California
Former children’s actor Rory Callum Sykes died on Wednesday, Jan. 8, a victim of the Palisades Fire, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. He was 32 years old.
Rory, an Australian actor born blind and with cerebral palsy, starred in the British television show “Kiddy Kapers.” In addition to his work in front of the camera, Rory has also worked as a motivational speaker and helped create the Happy Charity organization with his mother.
Sykes attempted to evacuate their Malibu home when the Palisades fire burned, but had difficulty restoring emergency services due to limited resources, including power.
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Former child star Rory Callum Sykes has died aged 32. (X/Shelley Sykes)
“He was my baby, and he died needlessly,” Sykes told Australia’s 10 News First.
Sykes said her son was living in a guest house on the family’s 17-acre Malibu canyon property. As the Palisades Fire entered the community, he had no form of contact with outsiders.
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“Guess what didn’t work? 911 – all the phone lines were down,” she said. “He said, ‘Mom, leave me,’ and no mother can leave their child. I broke my arm; I couldn’t lift it. I couldn’t move it.”
Trying to get out of the area, he drove to his local fire station to get help, only to be told “they don’t have water.”
“I said, ‘Oh my God, my son is locked in his room,'” Sykes recalled. “When the fire brigade brought me back, his cottage burned to the ground.”
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Born in Britain, Sykes moved to Australia as a child. He wrote a book, “Callum’s Cure,” detailing his determination to not just go for a day, but to see.
Firefighters watch as water recedes from the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)
“He died of carbon monoxide poisoning instead of burning,” Sykes was told by firefighters. “I didn’t want to hurt my child.”
Sykes is considering a class-action suit, and is staying on the property for now.
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“I’m not going to move,” Sykes said. “That’s going to be a place, a special place for Rory and I, and we’re going to make it even better than it already is.”
An airship takes down the Palisades Fire. (Brian van der Brug/Getty Images)
A home engulfs in flames during the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area on Jan. 8, 2025. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)
The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported Sunday that the Palisades fire has burned 23,713 acres and is now 11 percent contained. Five people have been reported dead since the fire broke out on Tuesday, January 7.
Less than 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire, which also burned on Jan. 7 in Altadena, burned 14,117 hectares and is now 27%. Eleven people have been confirmed dead.
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