Taylor Wily, a former sumo wrestler turned American actor who gained fame through his roles in popular TV shows like “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum PI,” has passed away at the age of 56.
On Thursday (June 20), Lina Girl, a local Hawaii KITV Island News reporter, announced the passing of Taylor Wily, a Hawaii celebrity and a family friend. Wily was a former sumo wrestler, MMA fighter, and actor who passed away in Hurricane, Utah. It is with a heavy heart that this news is shared.
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During the live broadcast, Girl shared that he had retired from sumo wrestling due to knee problems, and had previously competed under the name Takamikuni.
“He is well-known for his roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and as Kamekona on the Hawaii Five-0 remake,” she shared, “but to our family, he is a cherished childhood friend of my husband Sam and one of my mom’s boys. He has always been and will always be our Big T.”
The authorities have not yet disclosed the reason behind the individual’s demise.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 14, 1968, Wily’s journey as a sumo wrestler began in 1987 when he was recruited in Japan. With a weight of almost 440 lbs (200 kg), he was one of the biggest sumo wrestlers globally and was promoted to the third-highest division, makushita. He made history by becoming the first foreign-born wrestler to win the championship in the division. By March 1989, he reached his highest rank ever, Makushita 2, before retiring in July of the same year.
In 1993, Wily decided to explore mixed martial arts (MMA) and became a trainee at New Japan Pro Wrestling. He entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) under the name Teila Tuli the following year. His first and only UFC fight was in November 1993, where he faced off against Gerard Gordeau, a savate expert. During the match, Wily delivered a powerful punch that ended up breaking Gordeau’s hand. As a result, the referee called off the fight, awarding Gordeau the victory by technical knockout (TKO).
After making a few on-screen appearances in the original Eighties Magnum PI , the one-season drama Marker and the two-season drama One West Waikiki , Wily finally got his big break in the 2008 classic romcom Forgetting Sarah Marshall. In the movie, he played Kemo, the hotel worker who becomes friends with Jason Segel’s lead character.
In 2010, Wily achieved another milestone in his career when he landed a recurring role in the reboot of the popular police procedural show, “Hawaii Five-0”. He played the character of Kamekona, a confidential informant, in a total of 171 episodes over the course of 10 seasons, until the show ended in 2020.
Kamekona’s character was brought back to life in the Magnum PI reboot and the MacGyver reboot, both of which take place in the same world as Hawaii Five-0. He appeared in seven episodes of Magnum PI and one episode of MacGyver , reprising his role as Kamekona.
Wily’s wife, Halona, and their two children are the ones left behind to mourn his passing.
