LOS ANGELES (NEXSTAR) — More than a dozen people have died as a result of the wildfires burning in Los Angeles, authorities have confirmed. Among them is a former child actor, his mother has confirmed.

Shelley Sykes, the mother of Rory Sykes, said in a post on X that the child actor turned philanthropist and professional speaker, died on January 8.

Sykes, born blind and with cerebral palsy, had been living at his family's home in Malibu, California where he had his own cottage. According to his mother, 32-year-old Sykes died as a result of the fires burning in the area.