Current:Home > StocksTaylor Wily, 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' actor, dies at 56 -Nova Finance Academy
Taylor Wily, 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' actor, dies at 56
View
Date:2025-04-11 22:58:57
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! (64)
Related
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Martha Stewart Reacts to Landing Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Cover at Age 81
- Step Inside RuPaul's Luxurious Beverly Hills Mansion
- Job Boom in Michigan, as Clean Energy Manufacturing Drives Economic Recovery
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Dakota Access Prone to Spills, Should Be Rerouted, Says Pipeline Safety Expert
- Ohio’s Struggling Manufacturing Sector Finds Clean Energy Clientele
- 2017’s Extreme Heat, Flooding Carried Clear Fingerprints of Climate Change
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Inflation grew at 4% rate in May, its slowest pace in two years
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Why Chris Pratt's Mother's Day Message to Katherine Schwarzenegger Is Sparking Debate
- Ultra rare and endangered sperm whale pod spotted off California coast in once a year opportunity
- Illinois Lures Wind Farm Away from Missouri with Bold Energy Policy
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- In Spain, Solar Lobby and 3 Big Utilities Battle Over PV Subsidy Cuts
- Illinois becomes first state in U.S. to outlaw book bans in libraries: Regimes ban books, not democracies
- Electric Car Startup Gains Urban Foothold with 30-Minute Charges
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Can you get COVID and the flu at the same time?
Meadow Walker Shares Heartwarming Signs She Receives From Late Dad Paul Walker
Why inventing a vaccine for AIDS is tougher than for COVID
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Biden officials declined to offer legal status to hundreds of thousands of migrants amid border concerns
U.S. Electric Car Revolution to Go Forward, With or Without Congress
A guide to 9 global buzzwords for 2023, from 'polycrisis' to 'zero-dose children'