American actor Taylor Wily, known for his straight-talking characters in “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.,” has died at 56 years old.
He was best known for his role as “Kamekona” on the re-boot of “Hawaii Five-0.”
Also known for his philanthropy, Wily was a sumo wrestler before he got into acting. He also loved children.
“He’s probably the most memorable person to walk in the door there from Hawaii Five-O and the most loved just because of how personal he was with everyone,” said Angela Keen, a friend of Wily’s.
“He had a heart of gold and never met a stranger.”
Wily was born Teila Tuli on June 14, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He competed in sumo, UFC, and MMA matches, where he was known for his intimidating 450-pound frame.
Speaking about the incident, executive producer of “Hawaii Five-0” said.
“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now,” he wrote, alongside of a picture with Wily, on June 20.
Lenkov followed it with another post of a photo montage and wrote, “T, as I told you many times, I fell in love with you at the first audition. You came in with a towel on your head mopping up sweat, and I was smitten. You charmed me into making you a regular… on the show… and in my life.”
“You were family,” Lenkov wrote. “And I will miss you every day, brother. PS: when we spoke last week, we laughed at how right you were from Day 1. ‘Five-0’ was our dream job. And I was so lucky we got to share that magic together.”
