Taylor Wily, the former sumo wrestler who became a scene-stealer in the “Hawaii Five-0” reboot and appeared in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” passed away on Thursday at the age of 56. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
The news was confirmed by local Hawaiian news station KITV and Instagram posts from “Hawaii Five-0” executive producer Peter M. Lenkov.
“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now,” Lenkov wrote on June 20, alongside a picture with Wily.
In a follow-up post featuring a photo montage, Lenkov shared, “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 continued. "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.”
Wily appeared in 171 episodes of “Hawaii Five-0” as Kamekona Tupuola and reprised the role in episodes of other rebooted series such as “MacGyver” and “Magnum P.I.”
Born Teila Tuli on June 14, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wily had a diverse career before acting, competing in sumo, UFC, and MMA matches, where he was known for his formidable 450-pound frame.
Wily is survived by his wife, Halona, and their two children.