{"id":5738,"date":"2024-06-22T12:25:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T12:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=5738"},"modified":"2024-06-22T12:25:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-22T12:25:48","slug":"hawaii-five-0-star-taylor-wily-dead-at-56-rest-in-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=5738","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHawaii Five-0\u201d star Taylor Wily dead at 56 \u2014 rest in peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Taylor Wily, the Hawaiian-born former sumo wrestler famous for his acting roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall<\/em>, Hawaii Five-0<\/em>, and Magnum, P.I.<\/em>, has died at 56.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family friend first reported his passing on Hawaii outlet KITV<\/a>; she did not provide a cause of death. Hawaii Five-0<\/em> producer Peter M. Lenkov also confirmed the news on social media, sharing a photo of him with Wily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI am devastated. Heartbroken,\u201d Lenkov wrote. He later posted a more lengthy tribute:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cT, 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\u2026 on the show\u2026 and in my life. You were family. And I will miss you every day, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wily is best known to audiences for playing informant Kamekona Tupuola on the long-running CBS series. But long before achieving fame as an actor, Wily was a successful sumo wrestler and MMA fighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born Teila Tuli on June 14, 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wily began his sumo career in 1987 under the name Takamikuni. Weighing 440 pounds, he was one of the largest wrestlers in the sport and one of the rare foreign-born competitors to have success in the traditionally Japanese competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WAIKIKI, HI \u2013 SEPTEMBER 23: Actor Taylor Wily poses for a photo as he arrives at the CBS \u2018Hawaii Five-0\u2019 Sunset On The Beach Season 7 Premier Event at Queen\u2019s Surf Beach on September 23, 2016 in Waikiki, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He was unbeaten in his first 14 bouts and won two consecutive championships, and was the first foreign-born wrestler to become champion in the makushita<\/em> division, the sport\u2019s third-highest division. He retired in 1989 due to knee problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wily then competed in mixed martial arts, competing in the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. He lost the fight, but a punch to the face reportedly broke his competitor\u2019s hand, and he holds a unique place in the sport\u2019s history as the first person to lose a UFC brawl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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