Former Child Motivational Speaker Dies at 32 in LA Fires, ‘Heartbroken’ Mom Confirms

Australian citizen Rory Callum Sykes, who spent time as a motivational speaker when he was a child, is among those who lost their lives in the tragic Los Angeles wildfires. He was 32. 

His mom, Shelley Sykes, announced the tragic news via social media, revealing that her son did not make it out of the fire at their family home in Malibu, Calif. on Wednesday, Jan. 8. 

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“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday,” Shelley shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “I’m totally heart broken.” 

Rory, who was born in the U.K., lived with cerebral palsy and was born blind, according to his mom. “He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk,” Shelley wrote about her son. 

Described as a “sought after motivational speaker,” Rory was the inspiration for his mom’s moving 2006 book Callum’s Cure, and even once appeared as a keynote speaker for Tony Robbins‘ Discovery Camp to address and inspire a group of disadvantaged children. 

Rory was staying on his family’s Malibu estate with his mom when the devastating fires in Los Angeles hit. 

“I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water,” Shelley claimed in her post. “Even the 50 brave fire fighters had no water all day!” 

According to Australian news outlet 9 News, Rory is not yet part of the official Los Angeles death toll, which currently sits at 11 people but is expected to rise. 

“He will be incredibly missed,” the grieving mother added in her post.  

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