Taylor Wily, best known for his role as Kamekona in "Hawaii Five-0," died at age 56.
Musician Lina Girl Langi, a close friend of Wily, confirmed the news on her lifestyle show, "Island Life Live" on Thursday.
"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a Hawaii celebrity who was also a family friend," Langi shared, according to the New York Post. "Taylor Wily, former wrestler, MMA fighter and actor passed away today in Hurricane, Utah."
She added: "He would look physically menacing until you just folded right into a hug, and that was it. My heart is breaking."
No cause of death was revealed.
Wily, born in Honolulu in 1968, appeared in 171 episodes of "Hawaii Five-0," which spanned 10 seasons from 2010-20. He further reprised his role for several "Magnum P.I." episodes.
"I am devastated. Heartbroken. I'll post some detailed feeling in a few days. Just too hard right now," "Hawaii Five-0" and "Magnum P.I." executive producer Peter Lenkov wrote on Instagram.
In a separate post, Lenkov recalled Wily winning him over with his 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," Lenkov wrote.
"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."
Wily famously delivered a memorable performance in the 2008 romantic comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and appeared in shows like "Radical," "MacGyver," "North Shore," and "Marker." Off-screen, he was a sumo wrestler named "Takamishu," winning his first 14 matches and becoming the first foreign-born wrestler to win a championship in the Makushita division.
Wily is survived by his wife, Halona, and their two children.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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