Actor and former wrestler Taylor Wily, renowned for his role as Kamekona Tupuola in the popular crime dramas “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.,” passed away on Thursday at the age of 56.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Wily initially cut his teeth in the world of sumo wrestling, competing professionally in Japan.
However, Wily’s sumo career was short-lived due to injuries, and he eventually transitioned to mixed martial arts before acting.
Honolulu’s KITV4 Island News was the first to report on Wily’s passing.
“Hawaii Five-0” showrunner Peter M. Lenkov paid tribute to Wily — born Teila Tuli — in an Instagram post Thursday.
“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now,” he captioned a photo of the two of them.
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In a follow-up post, Lenkov 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. And I will miss you every day, brother.”
He added, “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.”
USAToday reported:
Wily also made several crossover appearances as Kamekona on Seasons 1 and 2 of “Magnum P.I.” per IMDB.
Wily’s Kamekona — the task force’s confidential informant and an entrepreneur who ran Waiola Shave Ice, Kamekona’s Shrimp Truck and Kamekona’s Helicopter Tours — made his debut in the “Hawaii Five-O” premiere in 2010. He remained in the role until the CBS series came to an end in 2020.
Wily was also featured in the 2008 rom-com “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and played hotel worker Kemo, who becomes a confidant to Peter Bretter, played by Jason Segel.
