Former Australian child star Rory Callum Sykes is among the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.
His mom, Shelley Sykes, announced that her son died at age 32 in a post on the social media site X on Jan. 9.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday,” she wrote. “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.”
Shelley Sykes said that her son lived on a “17 acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate,” which burnt down on Jan. 8 when she was unable to “put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water.”
Rory Sykes was born blind with cerebral palsy and had difficulty walking. He was a “sought after inspirational speaker” for Tony Robbins when he was 8 and appeared on television as a child.
His mom also published the book “Callum’s Cure: A Triumph of Positive Parenting,” which she said was written “about his courage.”
“He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk,” she wrote in the post. “Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica.”
Shelley Sykes spoke with Australia’s 10 News First after her son’s death, sharing that he “died needlessly” in the fire.
During the interview, she claimed that she was unable to call 911 for help because the phone lines were all down. She recalled a conversation she had with her son amid the fire, sharing, “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.”
Shelley Sykes left to go to a nearby fire station to get help, but said that they also had no water to help put out the fire at the cottage.
“When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground,” she said.
In her social media tribute to her son, Shelley Sykes that she and Rory founded the organization Happy Charity together, calling him “a true humanitarian.”
“He will be incredibly missed by @shelleysykes, mama his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie & all his online fans around the world!” she concluded the statement.
Since Jan. 7, at least five separate wildfires blazed through the Los Angeles area, causing over 100,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Dry conditions caused by a state of moderate to severe drought conditions combined with powerful winds up to 10 mph contributed to the devastating blazes.
As of Jan. 10, ten people were confirmed to have died in the Los Angeles area due to the wildfires, though officials have said that the true death toll is not known yet as the fires continue.
