Series fans mourn

“Hawaii Five-0” actor Taylor Wily (56) dead

For years, Taylor Wily was in front of the camera for the cult series "Hawaii Five-0", in which he played the informant Kamekona Tupuola. He also won the hearts of many fans in the TV series "Magnum P.I.". Now Wily has passed away at the age of just 56.

The former mixed martial arts fighter is survived by his wife Halona and his two children. The cause of his death is not yet known. 

"Like a bad dream"
 Taylor's family mourns the loss of the "gentle giant", as he was affectionately known. His niece Latoya Levaiosina dedicated a touching post to her late uncle: "It still feels like a bad dream. Unko Big Tee, we love you forever," she wrote on Facebook.

His former co-star Peter M. Lenkov is also mourning the loss of his friend and colleague. The film producer shared emotional words on Instagram: "I'm devastated. Inconsolable. I'll post more later. It's just too hard right now."

From sumo wrestling to acting
At the age of 17, the martial artist moved to Japan, where he began sumo wrestling and was taught by the famous sumo wrestler Takamiyama Daigoro. In 1993, he took part in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event. Taylor then switched to acting and has been an integral part of the popular crime series "Hawaii Five-0" since 2010.