The family of actor and former sumo wrestler Taylor Tuli Wily has filed a lawsuit alleging that a non-emergency medical transport company dropped him while he was in his wheelchair.
Wily, best known for his role on the television reboots of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I., as well as his career as a sumo wrestler, died in June 2024 at the age of 56. The cause of his death has not been publicly disclosed.
The lawsuit, filed by the Vegas-based Richard Harris Law Firm on behalf of the estate of Taylor Tuli Wily in the Nevada District Court for Clark County, alleges that Wily suffered head injuries after falling onto the pavement when the ramp of a vehicle operated by GMTCare failed.
According to the complaint, the “severe” injuries Wily sustained during the Oct. 3, 2023, incident eventually led to his death the following year in Hurricane, Utah.
The Daily Beast has reached out to GMTCare and Richard Harris Law Firm for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
Wily, known as “Big Tee,” was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although he was known for his tender demeanor, his physical presence could be considered intimidating—standing six feet tall and weighing over 400 pounds, according to The New York Times.
In 1987, Wily was recruited into the Azumazeki stable of sumo in Japan, where he was given the sumo name Takamishu Daikichi and became the first foreign-born wrestler to win the championship in his division.
After retiring from sumo due to knee injuries, Wily went on to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and became known as the first knockout victim in UFC’s history.
“Now when I look back on it, now that I’m more mature, I’m just grateful to God to just have the opportunity to risk it. Because how many times are you going to have the opportunity to risk something that nobody else did before?” Wily told The Denver Post about his UFC fight.
He appeared as Kamekona in over 170 episodes of Hawaii Five-0, which aired from 2010 to 2020.
“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,” wrote Hawaii Five-0 executive producer Peter M. Lenkov after Wily’s death.
The wrongful death lawsuit names Wily’s estate, his widow Halona Wily, and their two children, daughter Tula and son Young, as the plaintiffs.
“Taylor’s many accolades and accomplishments dim in comparison to the loss felt by his wife, children, and family,” stated Wily’s obituary.
