Wily was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and had been a sumo wrestler and MMA fighter before switching to a career in acting.
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Taylor Wily, best known for his roles in Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I., is dead at 56.
Hawaiian celebrity and musician Lina Girl Langi, who had been close friends of Wily and his family, announced the news of his death on her lifestyle show Island Life Live on Thursday, June 20.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a Hawaii celebrity who was also a family friend,” Langi shared on the broadcast. “Taylor Wily, former wrestler, MMA fighter and actor passed away today in Hurricane, Utah.”
Her co-host Davey D described Wily as one of the “kindest” and “gentlest souls.”
Langi did not confirm how Willy died. However, she noted that while the actor’s build may have been intimidating, he was anything but that in real life.
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“He would look physically menacing until you just folded right into a hug, and that was it,” she shared. “My heart is breaking.”
Wily was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1968 and started as a sumo wrestler under the name “Takamishu,” per his IMDb page. TV Insider reported that he won his first 14 matches before becoming the first foreign-born wrestler to win the championship in the third-highest Makushita division.
He then competed in the first match held in Ultimate Fighting Championship (2000), where he fought UFC fighter Gerard Gordeau and became the first fighter to lose a UFC brawl.
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Wily eventually switched to acting, beginning with having roles as background characters on shows like the original Magnum P.I., North Shore and One West in the 1980s to early 2000s.
He later appeared in the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Radical before landing a series regular role as Kamekona on Hawaii Five-0. He was featured in 171 episodes of the series, which ran from 2010 – 2020. He also reprised the role in the Magnum P.I. reboot.
Several of Wily’s friends and fans shared their condolences to his wife, Halona Wily, and the rest of his family on social media. Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. executive producer Peter Lenkov also paid tribute to the star on Instagram by sharing a photo of the pair on set.
“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feeling in a few days. Just too hard right now,” he wrote.
Former Hawaii news reporter Angela Keen shared on Facebook that Wily had often visited patients at Shriners Children’s Hawaii Hospital, and was always “accessible and personable.”
“You were the epitome of a gentle giant,” she wrote. “I can’t believe you are gone Taylor Wily.”
Dennis Chun, who played Sgt. Duke Lukela on the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, shared a photo of the pair and wrote, “Laura and I are heart broken to learn of the passing of Taylor Wily. He was not just a great talent but he was a giant of man.”
“His aloha and heart always made sharing a scene with him such a joy,” he added. “It was an honor to not only work with him but also to call him friend. Rest well Taylor. Hawaii and I weep tonight. Aloha Taylor until we meet again.”
