“I Didn’t Want Any Pain for My Baby,” Said Shelley Sykes Regarding the Death of Her Son Rory

When Rory Sykes was born, he was blind and suffered from cerebral palsy, but that didn't stop the Australian actor from living out his dreams. As a child, he hosted the British television show Kiddy Kapers and went on to become a motivational speaker. "He’s had an extraordinary life because I decided that no matter what happens, he was able to live like other kids and be loved," his mother Shelley told Fox 11 Los Angeles.

She was speaking to the outlet after her son lost his life in the Palisades fire, which tore through the cottage he lived in on her 17-acre Malibu estate. "His life was a blessing to me," Shelley said while crying. "He made me a better person." Here's what we know about the 32-year-old's death and Shelley's commitment to rebuilding what was lost.

On Jan. 9, 2025, Shelley posted a lengthy message to X announcing that Rory had passed away. "I’m totally heart broken," she wrote. He shared a birthday with his mother and grandmother, and had to overcome quite a bit as a child. Rory endured several surgeries in order to regain his ability to see and walk. "Despite the pain, he [was] still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica," said Shelley.

When Rory was only 11 years old, his mother published a book titled Callum's Cure, which was a nod to her son's middle name. It was awarded the 2008 Indie Book of Excellence for Positive Parenting and received praise from motivational speaker Tony Robbins. It tells the story of the car accident that Shelley was in while still pregnant with Rory, and goes into detail about his physical battle to walk and see again. She referenced this in her post to X and spoke about her son's courage.

Shelley told Fox 11 that Rory's surgical journey began when he was a baby. He would go on to have "nine surgeries to straighten his legs, straighten his eyes, and he used to watch Forrest Gump all the time when he was 4." Evidently Rory was inspired by watching the character overcome his own disability. "He got the all-clear in his eyes at 8, but he took his first step after watching Forrest Gump 400 times," she said.

When the fires grew closer to their home, Shelly tried desperately to convince Rory to leave. Once the embers started falling on the cottage roof where he lived, she leapt into action. "I covered my hair because there were embers flying around and grabbed the hosepipe next to his cottage — but there was no water," she cried. "So that freaked me out. I had to race back to the main house, and all the power had gone off."

She also told 10 News First out of Australia that all the phone lines were down, so she couldn't call 911. According to Shelley, Rory said, "Mom, leave me." Crying, the distraught Shelley said, "No mom can leave their kid," but she had a broken arm and couldn't lift him. Terrified, Shelley drove to the closest fire station and was told they had no water. "When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground."

The firefighters told Shelley that Rory ended up dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. This was a small comfort for Shelley who said she "didn't want any pain for her baby."