‘Hawaii Five-0’ actor Taylor Wily, who competed in first-ever UFC fight, dies at age 56
Taylor Wily, the actor who appeared on the “Hawaii Five-0” reboot, has died, according to social media reports Friday. He was 56.
Wily played Kamekona Tupuola and appeared in 171 episodes of “Hawaii Five-0.” Peter M. Lenkov, the executive producer of “Hawaii Five-0,” posted on Instagram about Wily’s death. It was confirmed by Hawaiian news station KITV. No cause of death was reported.
“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now,” Lenkov wrote, alongside of a picture with Wily, on Thursday.
The sumo wrestler and actor Taylor Wily, known for Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I., has died aged 56. pic.twitter.com/EwFmlQn0Sd
— IGN (@IGN) June 21, 2024
In a separate post with a photo montage, Lenkov wrote, “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.”
A former sumo and professional wrestler, Wily also competed in the first fight in UFC history. Fighting under his birth name Teila Tuli in his first and only professional MMA fight, he and Gerard Gordeau opened the UFC 1 card on Nov. 11, 1993, in Denver. Tuli charged and fell in the opening seconds of the bout and sustained a kick to the face that knocked out three of his teeth and ended the fight in just 26 seconds.
Wily also appeared in episodes of “MacGyver” and “Magnum P.I.”
He was born on June 14, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Wily is survived by his wife Halona and their two children.