Shelley Sykes, mourned her 32-year-old son in a post on X on Thursday where she shared, “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday.
According to Rory Sykes’ website, he was also a consultant for organizations like the Tony Robbins Foundation and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, as well as the co-founder of the Happy Charity alongside his mother.
Advertisement “He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk,” Shelley Sykes wrote on X.
In addition to the Pacific Palisades fire that killed Rory Sykes, firefighters have been contending with the nearby Kenneth fire, as well as the Eaton fire which has consumed thousands of acres around the city of Altadena.
A smaller but still substantial blaze named the Hurst fire continues to roar near the base of the Angeles National Forest.
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Among those killed in this week’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles is Rory Callum Sykes, a former child star, motivational speaker, and philanthropist, according to his mother.
In a post on X on Thursday, Shelley Sykes expressed her sorrow over her 32-year-old son, writing, “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday.”. I’m devastated beyond belief. “”.
“A wonderful son” and “true humanitarian,” she continued, referring to the Australian-born British national. “”.
Sykes, who has cerebral palsy and was born blind, was a child star on the British and Australian television programs “Kiddy Kapers” and “Mornings with Kerri-Anne.” She went on to become a professional motivational speaker.
His mother wrote “Callum’s Cure,” a book about his life that was released in 2010 by Simon and Schuster in Australia.
Along with his mother, Rory Sykes co-founded the Happy Charity and served as a consultant for groups such as the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the Tony Robbins Foundation, according to his website.
“With surgeries and treatments, he overcame a lot to regain his sight and learn to walk,” Shelley Sykes wrote on X. He was still excited about going around the world with me, from Africa to Antarctica, despite the pain. “”.
The loss of him will be profound. “.”.
According to Sykes’ mother, who spoke to Australian news agency 10 News First, fire officials informed her that her son died from carbon monoxide poisoning after becoming trapped in the cottage at his family’s 17-acre Malibu estate.
Shelley Sykes recalled the terrifying scene and told the outlet that she couldn’t get her son out of the building by herself because she couldn’t get through to 911 due to downed phone lines.
“I was unable to move him or lift him,” she remarked.
According to her post on X, Shelley Sykes “couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by” the nearby Las Virgenes Municipal Water District when she attempted to control embers that had fallen on the cottage.
“Even the fifty courageous firefighters were without water for the entire day,” she continued.
The community’s million-gallon tanks were left without enough water to pressurize the system due to high demand, which caused fire hydrants near the Pacific Palisades fire to run dry, according to an Associated Press report this week.
Emergency personnel have been battling to contain several wildfires in Los Angeles County since Tuesday. The fires were sparked by strong winds and dry weather in the area.
Firefighters have been battling the neighboring Kenneth fire and the Eaton fire, which has engulfed thousands of acres surrounding the city of Altadena, in addition to the Pacific Palisades fire that claimed Rory Sykes’ life. Near the base of the Angeles National Forest, a smaller but no less significant fire known as the Hurst fire is still raging.