Current:Home > reviewsTaylor Wily, 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' actor, dies at 56 -Insightful Finance Hub
Taylor Wily, 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' actor, dies at 56
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:14:52
Taylor Wily, a former sumo wrestler and UFC fighter who went on to portray entrepreneur and informant Kamekona for 10 seasons on the CBS revival of "Hawaii Five-0," has died.
He was 56.
His manager, Michael Henderson, confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday that Wily died Thursday, citing "natural causes."
Honolulu's KITV4 Island News was 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.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"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.
In a follow-up post featuring photos of the actor from throughout the years, 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."
In his Instagram Stories, Lenkov revealed he "never got tired of watching (Wily), and he was an incredible actor."
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.
veryGood! (3396)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Utah Influencer Ruby Franke Arrested on Child Abuse Charges
- Texas Supreme Court rejects attempt to stop law banning gender-affirming care for most minors
- 'Extremely dangerous' man escapes Pa. prison after getting life for murdering ex-girlfriend
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- AP Election Brief | What to expect in Rhode Island’s special primaries
- After outrage over Taylor Swift tickets, reform has been slow across the US
- With UAW strike looming, contract negotiations may lead to costlier EVs. Here's why
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 'Extremely dangerous' man escapes Pa. prison after getting life for murdering ex-girlfriend
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- ESPN goes dark for Spectrum cable subscribers amid Disney-Charter Communications dispute
- Wildfire risk again in Hawaii: Forecasters warning about dryness and winds
- Uvalde's 'Remember Their Names' festival disbanded
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Justice Clarence Thomas discloses flights, lodging from billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow in filing
- Ohio lawmaker stripped of leadership after a second arrest in domestic violence case
- North Carolina State's Rakeim Ashford stretchered off field during game vs. UConn
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
A million readers, two shoe companies and Shaq: How teen finally got shoes for size 23 feet
These kids are good: Young Reds in pursuit of a pennant stretch to remember
Bill 'Spaceman' Lee 'stable' after experiencing 'health scare' at minor league game
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Utah Influencer Ruby Franke Arrested on Child Abuse Charges
Canada issues US travel advisory warning LGBTQ+ community about laws thay may affect them
College football record projections for each Power Five conference