A Pirates of The Caribbean actor was killed at sea in a shark attack this weekend.
49-year-old Tamayo Perry was killed Sunday while surfing off the coast of Hawaii's most populated island, Oahu. He appeared as a buccaneer alongside Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Perry was missing an arm and a leg when his body was found, Stab reported. He was pronounced dead on the beach.
Emergency services were called to Malaekahana Beach around 1 p.m. Sunday after receiving reports of a shark attack, Honolulu Emergency Services said.
First responders recovered Perry's body on jet skis, but his wounds proved fatal. The small-time actor was well-known in Oahu, where he was born and worked as a lifeguard. He also had a reputation as a daring professional surfer who rode the Pipeline, a notoriously dangerous wave off the north shore of Oahu.
The World Surf League called Perry a "beloved icon" and a Pipeline "specialist."
We are deeply saddened to share that the surf community lost a beloved icon yesterday. A well-known surfer and lifeguard, Tamayo Perry, passed away after injuries from a shark attack that occurred on the East Side of Oahu.
Tamayo was a Pipeline/Teahupo'o specialist, freesurfer,… pic.twitter.com/d4i4Cxjvnl
— World Surf League (@wsl) June 24, 2024
Perry was a "lifeguard loved by all," Honolulu Ocean Safety Acting Chief Kurt Lager said at a press conference.
“Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more,” Lager said.
Honolulu's mayor Rick Blangiardi called Perry "a legendary waterman and highly respected,” calling his death a "tragic loss."
Perry's acting career included credits in Pirates of the Caribbean, the 2002 surfing movie Blue Crush, one episode of Hawaii Five-O and a handful of commercials.
Perry ran a surfing school with his wife Emilia, the Oahu Surfing Experience. A GoFundMe page organized by his wife described Perry as a faithful Christian.
"Tragic though his passing may be, he left this world doing what he loved where he loved to do it," the page says.
"We find strength in knowing he is in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ, trading barrels at Pipeline with his friends that have gone before him."
