A Hawaiian lifeguard, pro surfer and actor who had a role in one of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films was killed in a shark attack Sunday.
The Associated Press reported that Tamayo Perry, 49, was killed while he was surfing on Sunday afternoon, according to Shayne Enright of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.
The incident took place off Mālaekahana Beach on Oahu’s North Shore.
First responders were called just before 1 p.m. Sunday with a report of a man who appeared to have been attacked by a shark, Enright said.
Perry was paddling out to Goat Island when he was bitten more than once by a shark, according to KHON-TV.
A surfer found his body and took him to the island.
His body was returned to Oahu by personal watercraft.
Tamayo Perry, 49, is fatally injured when bitten by a shark off Goat Island near Malaekahana Beach.
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“Tamayo was a legendary waterman and highly respected,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said during a news conference.
“It’s just a tragic loss,” he said.
“At this time, we can confirm that it was one of our own city and county of Honolulu lifeguards, North Shore lifeguard Tamayo Perry,” said Kurt Lager, acting ocean safety chief.
“Tamayo Perry was a lifeguard loved by all. He was well-known on the North Shore. He’s a professional surfer known worldwide,” Lager said.
“Tamayo’s personality was infectious, and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more. Our condolences go out to Tamayo’s family and to the entire lifeguard ohana,” he said.
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 had worked as a lifeguard since July 2016, Enright said, according to the AP.
“As you can imagine, this is a very extremely difficult time for all of us, and I ask for your kindness and your patience as we all just try to get through this next hour into these next weeks and months,” Enright said during the news conference.
Pirates of the Caribbean Actor Tamayo Perry Dead at 49 After Shark Attack in Hawaii https://t.co/7fwWipHAij
— E! News (@enews) June 24, 2024
In addition to his appearance as a pirate in 2011’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” Perry appeared in “Hawaii Five-O” in 2020 and in the 2002 surfing film “Blue Crush,” according to his IMDb page.