“Hawaii Five-0” actor Taylor Wily dies at 56

Rafu Wire Service and Employee Reports

HONOLULU — Funeral services were held Tuesday for Taylor Wily, a former sumo wrestler who rose to fame as an actor playing an imposing but lovable informant in CBS’s revival of “Hawaii Five-0.”

Wily, 56, died last Wednesday. Peter 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 more about my feelings later. Right now it’s just too hard,” Lenkov wrote next to a photo of himself 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, brother.”

“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 that we got to experience that magic together.”

In 171 episodes of Hawaii Five-0 from 2010 to 2020, Wily played Kamekona Tupuola, a food truck owner who often gave tips to the show’s state police unit led by Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny Williams (Scott Caan).

Daniel Dae Kim, who played Chin Ho Kelly in the series from 2010 to 2017, posted on Instagram: “Thank you for the joy you brought to so many. Rest in peace, Taylor Wily.”

Jorge Garcia, who played Jerry Ortega from 2013 to 2019 and previously played Hurley in “Lost,” posted: “Sad to hear of the passing of Taylor Wily. A big guy with an even bigger heart. He brought me joy since the first time I saw him looking over me in a local ‘Lost’ commercial. I was always happy to see him. He will be missed very much.”

Wil Yun Lee, who had a recurring role as Sang Min from 2010 to 2017, posted: “A prince of a man who was a kind, gentle warrior. I loved him from the first moment I met him. I loved hearing all of his stories, especially about the UFC. But most of all, I just enjoyed sitting with him in his silence. Sending love to his family. He will be missed.”

Wily also played Kamekona in seven episodes of the “Magnum, PI” reboot and one episode of the “MacGyver” reboot.

Wily, who weighs 204 kg, was a successful sumo wrestling champion in Japan and competed in mixed martial arts before turning to acting.

He had a memorable role in the comedy “Forget About It.” His other TV credits include the Hawaii-set series “North Shore,” “One West Waikiki,” “Marker,” and the original “Magnum, P.I.”

Wily was born Teila Tuli in Honolulu on June 14, 1968 and is survived by his wife Halona and their two children.