Taylor Wily’s death: Teila Tuli, actor and former sumo wrestler, known for his role in “Hawaii Five-0”, dies at the age of 56

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Funeral services were held Friday for Taylor Wily, a former sumo wrestler who rose to fame as an actor through his role as an imposing but lovable informant in CBS’s revival of “Hawaii Five-0.”

Wily, 56, died Thursday. Peter M. Lenkov, executive producer of “Hawaii Five-0,” posted on Instagram about Wily’s death, which was also confirmed by Hawaiian news channel KITV. The cause of death was not disclosed.

“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I will post some more detailed sentiments later. Right now it’s just too hard,” Lenkov wrote on Thursday alongside a photo with Wily.

In a separate post with a photo montage, Lenkov wrote, “T, like I’ve told you many times, I fell in love with you at the first audition. You walked in with a towel on your head, wiping away your sweat, and I was blown away. You made me want to make you a regular… on the show… and in my life. You were family. And I’ll miss you every day, bro. PS: When we spoke last week, we laughed about how right you were from day one. ‘Five-0’ was our dream job. And I was so lucky we got to share that magic together.”

In 171 episodes of the “Hawaii Five-0” reboot, Wily played Kamekona Tupuola, a food truck owner who often tips the show’s state police unit, led by Alex O’Loughlin’s character Steve McGarrett and Scott Caan’s Danny Williams.

Wily was successful as a sumo champion in Japan before turning to acting. He also had a memorable role in the comedy “Forget About It” and appeared in series such as “MacGyver” and “Magnum PI.”

He was born Teila Tuli in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 14, 1968.

Wily leaves behind his wife Halona and their two children.