Who did Hudson Joseph Meek play in Baby Driver? 16-year-old actor passes away after falling from a moving vehicle
Teen actor Hudson Joseph Meek passed away at 16 years old after he reportedly fell from a moving vehicle in Alabama. A statement shared on his Instagram account on Saturday, December 21, 2024, confirmed his death, which reads:
"Our hearts are broken to share that Hudson Meek went home to be with Jesus tonight. His 16 years on this earth were far too short, but he accomplished so much and significantly impacted everyone he met."
The statement also shared that there will be a memorial scheduled on December 28 to celebrate the late actor's life. More details about the memorial and how to donate to a scholarship at Vestavia Hills High School in lieu of sending flowers will be shared at a later date. It also asked for payers for Hudson Joseph Meek's parents, Lani and Derek, and his brother, Tucker.
A local NBC affiliate, WVTM, reported about the accident and Meek's subsequent passing at Vestavia Hills. Per the outlet, the Jefferson County Coroner's Office said that the late actor sustained blunt force trauma after falling from a moving vehicle. The accident reportedly happened on Thursday, December 19, at around 10:45 in the evening around the 1900 block of Canyon Road.
He was allegedly taken to the UAB Hospital following the incident but was pronounced dead at 7:59 Saturday evening, per Advance Local. Vestavia Hills police are still investigating the incident and have yet to release a statement.
Hudson Joseph Meek had been acting since 2014 but is best known for playing the younger version of Ansel Elgort's character, Baby, in the 2017 film Baby Driver.
Hudson Joseph Meek's filmography explored amid news of his passing at 16
Hudson Joseph Meek's acting credits date back to 2014, per his IMDb page, when he got a small and uncredited role as the Wiseman in The Santa Con. He went on to land more significant roles in movies, including playing Chris Piper in 90 Minutes in Heaven and the bully boy in Providence.
In 2017, he played the younger version of the titular role Baby in the Edgar Wright-directed Baby Driver, who grew to become Ansel Elgort's getaway car driver character. His acting credits, per IMDb, include guest-starring roles in several television shows like MacGyver, Legacies, Found, and the Macgyver reboot series Genius. His latest acting credit was for playing the character of Sirius in the 2024 Tod Wiseman Jr.-directed thriller The School Duel.
Besides acting in front of the camera, Hudson Joseph Meek also ventured into voice acting, lending his voice to bring life to Bada's character in the animated shows Badanamu Cadets and Badanamu Stories.
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According to the obituary published about the actor, Hudson Joseph Meek was an "accomplished actor" and has "worked on several major motion pictures and television shows, some of which will be released in 2025."
The said obituary also shared more details about his memorial, which will be at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood, Alabama on December 28. The family will have a visitation time around 9:30 am central time and the memorial will follow at 11:30 am central time, with the service being live-streamed via his Instagram account and his mother, Lani's Facebook account.
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