Who did Taylor Wily play in Hawaii Five-O? Character explored as actor and former UFC fighter dies aged 56 

Taylor Wily, who gained recognition for playing Kamekona Tupuola in Hawaii Five-0, unexpectedly died on June 20, 2024, at 56. The cause of death is unknown and further updates are awaited.

Musician Lina Girl Langi, who shared a close friendship with Wily and his family over the years, revealed the news of Taylor's demise the same day on the show, Island Life Live. While Lina did not give much details, she stated Taylor died in Hurricane, Utah. She addressed Wily's work by saying,

"He would physically menacing until you just folded right into a hug, and that was it. My heart is breaking."

Taylor Wily's sister Alyssa took to her Facebook page on Thursday, sharing a video where the entire family was sitting together to pay tribute. The caption stated:

"Mourning and celebrating our favorite brother and uncle the way he would want us to. Family, Food, Music and Good Vibes. Aurrrrrrighhhhh (in his voice)."

Apart from his work as an actor, Wily additionally pursued a career as a mixed martial artist and wrestler. He also was in several competitions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Taylor Wily became popular for his performance in Hawaii Five-0: Character and other details explained

The Honolulu, Hawaii native accumulated a huge fanbase with his work on screen over the years. But it was his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola in Hawaii Five-0 that made him a popular face among the public.

Taylor Wily's character was an entrepreneur operating companies such as Wailoa Shave Ice and The Shrimp Truck. He was also the owner of a Hawaiian tour helicopter company. Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly hired him in the pilot episode to get details related to the death of John McGarrett.

Kamekona also brought food for the Five-0 team and while his full name was not known for two seasons, it came out in the third season. An alternate version of the character also appeared in the following season, where he had a mustache and many tattoos on the back of his head.

Tupuola later approached Flippa to become the manager of a food truck and joined Hirsch's Crime Clean as a partner. Kamekona even collaborated with Hirsh to solve a case where art pieces were stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Kamekona then joins Steve to invest in their pizzeria after Danny and Steve face a lot of hurdles to open the same. The duo then shifted the ownership of the restaurant to Tupuola.

Hawaii Five-0 aired for ten seasons, starting on September 20, 2010. The series ended on April 3, 2020.

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Taylor Wily's acting and wrestling career explained in brief

While he initially pursued his career in the world of wrestling, he was known as Takamishu. He emerged as the winner of 14 matches and later entered UFC 1 until he started working as an actor. While his height was 6 feet 2 inches, he weighed 450 pounds during his time as a wrestler.

Coming to his acting career, he started by portraying a bartender in the soap opera, North Shore. Apart from Hawaii Five-0, he reprised his role as Kamekona Tupuola in two more shows, MacGyver and Magnum P.I. Taylor Wily even had a cameo in The Amazing Race Season 20.

Taylor's survivors include his wife Halona along with two children.