Hawaii Five-0 Actor Dead at 56: One of the ‘Gentlest Souls’

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wily began his professional career as an MMA fighter and sumo wrestler before deciding to pursue acting.

At the age of 56, Taylor Wily, best known for his parts in Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-0, passed away.

On Thursday, June 20, Hawaiian artist and celebrity Lina Girl Langi, who had been close friends with Wily and his family, revealed the news of his passing on her lifestyle program Island Life Live.

Langi said on the show, “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, actor, MMA fighter, and former wrestler, passed away in Hurricane, Utah, today.”

Davey D, her co-host, called Wily one of the “kindest” and “gentlest souls.”

Langi did not reveal Willy’s cause of death. She did point out that despite having an intimidating build, the actor was not scary in real life.

She said, “He would appear physically menacing until you simply folded into an embrace, and that was that.” “My heart is shattered.”

According to his IMDb page, Wily began his career as a sumo wrestler under the name “Takamishu” after being born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1968. He won his first fourteen matches, according to TV Insider, and went on to become the first wrestler not born in the United States to win the title in the third-tier Makushita division.

He then participated in the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship event in 2000, losing to fellow fighter Gerard Gordeau and making history as the first competitor to lose in a UFC brawl.

Wily eventually made the transition to acting, starting out in the 1980s and early 2000s with background parts in television series like North Shore, One West, and the original Magnum P.I.

After that, he starred in the movies Radical and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and on Hawaii Five-0, he was cast as Kamekona, a series regular. In total, 171 episodes of the 2010–2020 season of the show included him. In the Magnum P.I. reboot, he also played the same character again.

On social media, a number of Wily’s acquaintances and admirers offered their condolences to his wife Halona Wily and the rest of his family. Executive producer Peter Lenkov of Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-0 also honored the star on Instagram by posting a picture of the two of them together on set.

“I’m inconsolable. Brokenhearted. In a few days, I’ll share some in-depth feelings. Just too difficult at this time,” he wrote.

On Facebook, former Hawaii news reporter Angela Keen wrote that Wily was always “accessible and personable” and had frequently visited kids at Shriners Children’s Hawaii Hospital.

She remarked, “You were the very definition of a gentle giant.” “Taylor Wily, I can’t believe you’re gone.”

After posting a picture of the two, Dennis Chun, who portrayed Sgt. Duke Lukela in the Hawaii Five-0 revival, added, “Laura and I are heart broken to learn of Taylor Wily’s passing.” He was a giant of a man in addition to being a gifted artist.

“Being in a scene with him was always such a joy because of his aloha and heart,” he continued. It was a privilege to work with him and have him as a friend. Taylor, get some rest. Hawaii and I cry this evening. Taylor, till we cross paths again, aloha.