Former child star, motivational speaker Rory Sykes loses life in CA wildfire

As the true scale of devastation caused by the California wildfires continues to emerge, the tragic death of a well-known motivational speaker who triumphed over disability has come to light.

Fox News has reported that former child actor Rory Callum Sykes died on Wednesday at age 32, a victim of the Palisades Fire that ravaged several southern California neighborhoods.

Tragic end for inspirational figure

The young man's death was revealed by his mother, Shelley Sykes, who explained in a post on X, “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday.”

Sykes, a native of Australia who once starred on Britain's Kiddy Kapers television show, was born blind and with cerebral palsy, and he went on to work as a motivational speaker and philanthropist.

Along with his mother, Sykes attempted to flee their Malibu home as the fire approached, though the limited availability of emergency services posed obstacles that proved to much for him to bear.

Sykes was said to be living in a guest house on his family's 17-acre estate Malibu canyon, an area that saw massive destruction from one of the several wildfires that ravaged the greater Los Angeles region in recent days.

Shelley Sykes lamented the rapidity with which conditions deteriorated amid the flames, saying, “Guess what didn't work? 911 – all the phone lines were down. 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.”

The panicked mother drove to the fire station to seek assistance, learned there was “no water,” and by the time she was driven back to her property, her son's “cottage was burnt to the ground.”

Admirable legacy left behind

Having moved to the U.S. as a child, Rory Sykes authored a book in which he outlined his wish to walk as well as to someday gain the ability to see.

The former child star underwent numerous surgeries in his quest to meet those goals and had ambitions of traveling the world, despite his physical challenges.

In recent years, Rory Sykes was said to be an avid lover of video games as well as a diligent investor and co-founder of the Happy Charity alongside his mother.

Shelley Sykes stated that her son will be “incredibly missed,” and she plans to keep his memory alive by remaining in the home he knew for so many years.

“I'm not going to move. That's going to be the place, a special place for Rory and I, and we'll make it even more beautiful that it already was,” the grieving mother vowed.