A former Australian child actor, Rory Callum Sykes, 32, living with cerebral palsy, tragically died during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, California. The fire consumed his family’s cottage after a failure in water supplies, hindering his mother’s desperate attempts to rescue him and reach emergency services.
The unfortunate incident occurred on January 8, 2025, when the family’s 17-acre estate was set ablaze as embers ignited the roof of Sykes’ cottage. Shelley Sykes, his mother and a TV production entrepreneur, tried to save him but was hindered by a broken arm and a non-operational water supply.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son to the Malibu fires yesterday,” Shelley Sykes wrote on social media. “He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk. Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica.”
Sykes chose to stay in his cottage due to swollen feet and a need for proximity to a bathroom. As the fire escalated, his mother remained on the main property with her two peacocks, attempting to keep hydrated while watching helplessly as embers landed on her son’s roof.
Sykes, who was born blind and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, had accomplished much despite many physical obstacles, thanks to surgeries and therapies. He appeared in episodes of the British television show “Kiddy Kapers,” which his mother hosted. Later, he became a philanthropist, investor, and developer, and co-founded the “Happy Charity” organization, which aims to bring “Hope, Happiness & Health to those that are Hurting.”
The fire authorities concluded that Sykes died from carbon monoxide poisoning. His mother recalled the heart-wrenching final moments: “He said ‘Mom leave me,’ and no mom can leave their kid,” she told reporters, holding back tears. “I’ve got a broken arm; I couldn’t lift him; I couldn’t move him.”
Shelley drove to the closest fire station for assistance, but by the time she returned, the cottage was nothing more than “just black ash.” The property, which housed Mount Malibu TV Studios, was entirely consumed by the fire.
The water shortage was due to several infrastructure issues. The Santa Ynez Reservoir, a significant 117-million-gallon water storage facility, had been offline for nearly a year for cover repairs. This resulted in critically low water pressure throughout the Palisades area.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported a record demand, reaching four times the normal levels for 15 straight hours. Many hydrants had minimal to no water flow, causing the department to bring in 20 water tankers. These tankers needed to be refilled from distant locations, significantly slowing down firefighting efforts.
The fire catastrophe impacted more than just the Sykes family. Anthony Mitchell and his son Justin, both with disabilities, were among other victims unable to evacuate. The combined Palisades and Eaton fires have taken 24 lives, with 16 deaths in the Eaton Fire and eight in the Palisades Fire. An estimated 12,000 structures have been destroyed, and several people are still missing.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is offering consular assistance to the Sykes family. Shelley Sykes has expressed her intention to rebuild the property in her son’s memory as a sanctuary.
