(Adnkronos) – Taylor Wily has died at the age of 56. The American actor had achieved fame on the sumo circuit in the late 1980s before turning to acting, appearing in memorable roles in the TV series ‘McGyver’, ‘Magnum PI’ and ‘Hawaii Five-0’. The news of his passing on June 20 was confirmed by television producer Peter M. Lenkov, executive producer of the television reboot of ‘Hawaii Five-0′. The series’ success lasted a decade after debuting to strong reception in 2010. In the series, Wily played Kamekona Tupuola, a shrimp truck owner and informant for Task Force Five-0. On Instagram, Lenkov wrote that he was “shocked, devastated, heartbroken” by the news of his friend’s death, later sharing a heartfelt note directed to Wily: “Taylor as I’ve told you many times, I’m in love with you at the first audition. You came with a towel on your head to dry the sweat and you won me over, making me a permanent presence… on the show… and in my life. And I will miss you every day , brother. When we talked last week, we laughed about how right you were from day one. Five-0 was our dream job. And I was so lucky to share that magic together,” Lenkov concluded. Originally from Laie, Hawaii, where he was born as Teila Tuli on June 14, 1968, Wily—who stood 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds—was recruited in 1987 to the Azumazeki stable of sumo, Japan’s centuries-old national sport. Wily, who wrestled under the name Takamikuni, went undefeated in his first 14 fights and soon became the first foreign-born fighter to win the championship in the sport’s makushita division. Two years after starting his career in the sport, Takamikuni reached the rank of makushita 2; However, he refused to continue practicing sumo after experiencing knee problems. In addition to his decade on the “Hawaii Five-0” series (2010-2020), Wily appeared as a bartender who befriends Jason Segel’s lovelorn protagonist in the comedy “Don’t Dump Me” (2008). —[email protected] (Web Info)
