Former child actor Rory Callum Sykes died Wednesday, Jan. 8, a victim of the Palisades Fire, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. He was 32.
Rory, an Australian actor who was born blind and with cerebral palsy, starred on the British television show “Kiddy Kapers.” In addition to his work in front of the camera, Rory also served as a motivational speaker and helped form the Happy Charity organization with his mom.
Sykes attempted to evacuate their Malibu home when the Palisades Fire ignited, only to have difficulty retrieving emergency services due to limited resources, including power.
Former child star Rory Callum Sykes dead at 32. (X/ShelleySykes)
“He was my baby, and he died needlessly,” Sykes told Australia’s 10 News First.
Sykes said her son lived in a guest house on the family’s 17-acre Malibu canyon property. As the Palisades Fire encroached on the community, she had no form of communication with the outside world.
“Guess what didn’t work? 911 – all the phone lines were down,” she 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.”
In an attempt to evacuate, she drove to her local fire station for help, and was told they had “no water.”
“I said, ‘Oh my God, my son is locked in his room,” Sykes recalled. “When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground.”
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The British-born Sykes moved to Australia as a child. He wrote a book, “Callum’s Cure,” which detailed his determination to not only walk one day, but also see.
Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)
“He died with carbon monoxide poisoning rather than burning,” Sykes said she was told by firefighters. “I didn’t want any pain for my baby.”
Sykes is contemplating a class action suit, and is staying in place for the time being.
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“I’m not going to move,” Sykes said. “That’s going to be the place, a special place for Rory and I, and we’ll make it even more beautiful than it already was.”
An air tanker made a drop on the Palisades Fire. (Brian van der Brug/Getty Images)
A home is engulfed 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 burned 23,713 acres and is now 11% contained. Five fatalities have been reported since the fire ignited on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Less than 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire, which also ignited on Jan. 7 in Altadena, burned 14,117 acres and is now 27%. Eleven fatalities have been confirmed.
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