One might not recognize Taylor Wily‘s name, but the affable, bald-headed sumo wrestler-turned-actor who appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Hawaii Five-0, has died.
Hawaii’s KITV News was the first to break the news, but some of those who worked with him were quick to take to social media to mourn the Hawaii-born Samoan star, who was 56.
Peter Lenkov produced Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I. and MacGyver — and Wily played the lovable scammer and food truck owner Kamekona Tupuola on the latter two CBS shows. Lenkov confirmed the news with a photo of the pair together, saying, “I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now.”
He later wrote of Wily’s Five-0 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 added the pair just spoke last week, when “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.”
Will Yun Lee, who worked with Wily on Five-0, called him, “A Prince of a man who was a kind, gentle warrior.”
To a video of the pair, Lee continued, “Loved him the second I met him. Loved hearing all his stories, especially about the UFC. But mostly I just enjoyed sitting with him in his quietness. Sending love to his family. He will be missed.”
No cause of death was released.
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