Former sumo wrestler-turned-actor Taylor Wily has died.
He was 56.
Wily died on Thursday, but a cause of death has not been released, Variety reported.
His death was confirmed by “Hawaii Five-0″ executive producer Peter Lenkov, who wrote on Instagram, “I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now.”
Lenkov posted a second time, writing, “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. 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.”
Along with his 171 episodes of “Hawaii Five-0,″ Wiley appeared on “MacGyver” and “Magnum P.I.”
He also appeared in the film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” according to IMDb.
Wily was from Laie, Hawaii. He was born Teila Tuli in 1968 in Honolulu, Variety reported.
He was recruited into sumo wrestling in 1987 and wrestled under the name Takamikuni, going undefeated in his first 14 matches and becoming the first foreign-born wrestler in the Makushita division. He reached the rank of makushita 2 within two years but did not continue his career in the sport due to knee issues, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He leaves behind his wife, Halona, and two children.
© 2024 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
