(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On June 20, actor Taylor Wily, 56, died in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to his manager and friend, Michael J. Henderson, the 6-foot-two-inch tall, 434-pound sumo wrestler, fighter, and actor died of natural causes.
Born on June 14, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wily’s name was Teila Tuli.
In the 1980s, Wily became one of the first American sumo wrestlers, competing in Japan under the name Takamikuni, and over two seasons of wrestling had a 57-27-14 record. He retired from sumo wrestling in 1989 and, in November 1993, went to fight in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, losing to Gerard Gordeau. He did not compete in UFC again.
His acting career began in 1982 when he starred in an uncredited role in an episode of the original “Magnum, P.I.” However, his breakout role in acting came when he played the hotel worker Kemo in the 2008 film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” He went on to star in 171 episodes of the re-make of “Hawaii Five-0” as Kamekona from 2010 until the series ended in 2020. He also reprised the character of Kamekona in seven episodes of the re-made “Magnum, P.I.,” and also in the re-made “MacGyver.” He was part of the 20th season of the reality competition series “The Amazing Race.”
On Instagram, “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I. “executive producer Peter M. Lenkov said he was “devastated” and “heartbroken” by the news of Wily’s death. In a second post, he shared a photo gallery and wrote, “You were family. And I will miss you every day.” “Hawaii Five-0” actress Meaghan Rath commented on the post with a broken heart emoji, while writer and producer Trey Callaway wrote, “his memory” would “remain a blessing to millions.”
On Twitter, “Magnum P.I.” writer Andre Jackson retweeted the news of Wily’s death, writing, “Aloha, buddy.”
Wily is survived by Halona, his wife, and the couple’s two children.
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