Taylor Wily, former wrestler and actor known for his roles in Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I., has died at the age of 56. According to KITV News, the Hawaii-born star died on Thursday. Wily was best known for portraying Kamekona Tupuola in the crime dramas Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.
His cause of death has not yet been revealed. Wily is survived by his wife, Halona, and their two children. Taylor’s sister, Alyssa, shared a video of their family paying tribute to the Hawaiian actor at a gathering on Thursday. The video showed the family sitting outside playing ball games and board games, while others were eating and cooking inside.
Sudden and Unexpected Death
“Mourning and celebrating our favorite brother and uncle the way he would want us to,” she captioned the clip on Facebook.
“Family, Food, Music and Good Vibes. Aurrrrrrighhhhh (in his voice).”
Alyssa also posted a video of Taylor’s nieces and nephews singing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds (Don’t Worry About A Thing)” in his honor. “Singing for their uncle tee,” she captioned the post.
Alyssa updated her Facebook profile picture to a photo of Taylor smiling and added a brown heart emoji as the caption.
The actor, born Teila Tuli on June 14, 1968, in Laie, Hawaii, landed his first acting role in 2004 on the TV show North Shore. He shot to fame playing Kamekona on all 10 seasons of Hawaii Five-0.
His character served as an informant for the police and ran multiple businesses, including a shrimp food truck, a helicopter tour company, and Wailoa Shaved Ice.
The CBS police drama aired from 2010 to 2020. Taylor also portrayed Kamekona in the related series Magnum P.I.
Tributes Pour In
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Before that, he appeared in the 2008 romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which starred Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, and Paul Rudd. Taylor also appeared in the short film Gut Instinct.
Taylor was also a sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist. In 1993, he competed in the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship against Gerard Gordeau.
He lost a tooth when Gerard kicked him in the jaw during the match.
Taylor later stated that he had no regrets about participating in the dangerous sport. “There was a different feeling when you walked through that octagon,” he told The New York Post in 2018.
“I was scared. I ain’t lying, I was scared. Now when I look back on it, now that I’m more mature, I’m just grateful to God to just have the opportunity to risk it.”
Among those paying tribute to the “gentle giant” was his former co-star, Peter M. Lenkov. “I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.
