Taylor Wily, actor of Hawaii Five-0 and Forgetting Sarah Marshall passes away at 56, with his cause of death remaining a mystery. The star, who made his debut as Kamekona on Hawaii Five-O in 2010 worked his way into the hearts of viewers as a series regular for a decade, until it went off air in 2020. He also left his mark in movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall as well as appearances on Magnum P.I, where he retained the character of Kamekona.
These career highlights made Taylor a beloved star across the globe. Hence, his death at the blooming age of 56 hit hard for many. News of Taylor Wily’s death broke on Thursday, with news outlets confirming he passed away under undisclosed circumstances. While details about the tragic loss remain scarce, his friend and Hawaii Five-0 producer Peter M. Lenkov confirmed the news shortly after.
The producer took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to the lost icon, bidding him a final farewell. He began his tribute Thursday, sharing a snap of him and Taylor, posing together, all smiles. Via the caption, Peter admitted the loss left him devastated and heartbroken, writing,
“I am devastated. Heartbroken. I’ll post some detailed feelings later. Just too hard right now.”
He followed up with a slideshow of some of his most memorable moments with Taylor. In the accompanying tribute, Peter reminisced on how he “fell in love” with Taylor right from his very first audition. He became so smitten with the actor that he made him a series regular and a huge part of his life. Over the years, their friendship blossomed, evolving into a unique brotherhood.
Taylor Wily Dreamed Up a Real-Life Kamekona
He also reminisced about their conversation a week prior, where they joked about Hawaii Five-O being their dream job. Peter Lenkov continued to reflect on his friendship with Taylor Wily, and all the lives he touched with his kind heart before succumbing to death. In a post shared on Saturday, the producer shared further details about Taylor’s dreams, some of which went unfulfilled.
He recalled their plans to open a real-life Kamekona shaved ice stand or shrimp truck, where Hawaii Five-O fans and customers could drop by at any time to have a firsthand experience. Peter admitted they made plans for it and discussed the project for ten years. Sadly, he never lived to fulfill that dream despite how much he wanted it. He shared:
“For 10 years we talked about opening a real Kamekona shave ice stand or shrimp truck. Not a franchise. Just one place. So he could be there when not filming to greet customers. That’s what he wanted.”
Touch by those words, many fans encouraged Peter to keep Taylor Wily’s dream alive by setting up the stand as planned despite his death. That way, it could stand as memorabilia in his honor, while fulfilling one of his biggest wishes.
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Matthew Perry Death Investigation Shocker: Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox Sucked into the DramaApart from Peter Lenkov, several co-stars have turned to social media to pay tribute to the late actor. Taylor Wily’s entertainment lawyer confirmed the star’s death in a press statement, revealing he died on Thursday. In his public statement, Taylor’s manager revealed that he died from “natural causes.” However, neither the exact circumstances surrounding his demise nor the location at the time of death have been disclosed. This has left fans more apprehensive about Taylor Wily’s cause of death, especially as “natural causes” is a vague description when the person in question was only 56.
