R.I.P. Taylor Wily, Hawaii Five-0 star

Taylor Wily, the actor best known for his role as Kamekona on the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, has died. While the cause of death has not been shared, the news was confirmed by his friend Lina Girl Langi on her local lifestyle show Island Life Live. Wily was 56 years old.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a Hawaii celebrity who was also a family friend. Taylor Wily, former wrestler, MMA fighter and actor passed away today in Hurricane, Utah,” Langi said on the broadcast (per People). Sharing her recollection of her friend, she said, “He would look physically menacing until you just folded right into a hug, and that was it. My heart is breaking.”

According to TV Insider, Wily began his career as a sumo wrestler competing under the name Takamishu. After finding success in sumo, he went on to compete in UFC 1 before eventually making the transition to acting. He appeared on One West Waikiki and North Shore before playing the role of Kemo in the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He was later cast in Hawaii Five-0 and would reprise his role as Kamekona on the reboots of MacGyver and Magnum P.I.

Ousted Hawaii Five-0 executive producer Peter M. Lenkov posted his own tribute to Wily on Instagram, first sharing a photo of the pair together with the caption, “I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now.” In an additional post, Lenkov said, “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.”