Tamayo Perry, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Actor and Professional Surfer, Known as a 'Brilliant Soul' After Deadly Shark Attack

In the days after Tamayo Perry died in a shark attack, his wife and a longtime friend remembered the famous Hawaii surfer as a 'brilliant soul' who was 'larger than life' .

Perry, a lifeguard who also appeared in some Hollywood films, died Sunday after being attacked by a shark while surfing on Oahu's North Shore during a break in his shift, his friend and colleague Jesse King.

Emilia Perry, Perry's wife, said it was common for her husband to catch a wave while on vacation and that's how the island's lifeguards “stay in shape” to save surfers in waves 20 feet.

She said Sunday “was like any other day.” They started the morning with a goodbye kiss as he headed to work.

King said Tamayo Perry started her shift at 8 a.m. and took a surf break later in the day. While he was out, said King, who works as a lifeguard in Honolulu, just like Perry, they received a 911 call for a person who had been attacked by a shark.

“We got him and no one got a chance to say goodbye,” King said of the incident, which he called horrific and tragic.

Emilia Perry said she heard the news while in the car and had to “just go on autopilot” to get home as tears flowed and she prayed it wouldn't happen. be true.

“When I got home, it was real,” she said. “But I also knew in my heart that he was truly happy” because he had arrived in heaven.

Perry was a man of faith

Tamayo Perry was first and foremost a man of Christian faith, his wife and King said, adding that that's what united them.

King and Emilia Perry said they and their community are “heartbroken,” but “there's also this weird calm that it's in a really beautiful place,” Perry said.

Before he died, she said, he sent a message to friends saying he was excited, not scared, to go to heaven.

Qualified surfer and lifeguard

He also excelled as a surfer and lifeguard, and his faith was intertwined with these roles.

“It just takes a certain person and a certain skill, because there's not a lot of people that can tackle the North Shore as a lifeguard. It's definitely for, you know, the top, the best of the best,” said Emilia Perry.

She said her husband was proud of what he did, “no matter what it was.”

Perry has starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Fountain of Youth and Charlie's Angels, as well as television series including Lost.

The Perrys ran a surf school together, where they taught “ocean safety and awareness and how to keep yourself safe while having a good time,” she said.

King said: “He was going to educate the public, talk to people and redirect them to a safer place and to prevent bad things from happening, and he saved countless lives by doing a good job as a lifeguard.”

Among rescuers, King said, there is a feeling that there is a void that will never be filled. »

“It’s something that everyone can aspire to, trying to fill those kinds of shoes and do as good a job as he did,” he said.

“A Brilliant Soul”

Tamayo Perry “loved everybody, and everybody loved him back, because they could all tell he was genuinely who he was,” King said.

He said Perry was “a really fun friend” who thrived when he interacted and engaged with people.

Tamayo was a beacon of light; he's just a brilliant soul. And everywhere he went, he lit up the room, King said.

Emilia Perry said her husband was “larger than life”. During their time together, they were able to “have so much fun” in their international travels as surfers, which she called “just beautiful.”

“I'm really, really grateful for the 25 years I've had,” but “I wish it was more,” she said. “But you can't change what happened. You know, you can't turn back time.”

Tamayo Perry's family and friends are planning a paddle out ceremony for surfers and a celebration of life for him on July 14, “but knowing his luck,” Emilia Perry joked, “it could be 10 feet [waves] that day, right?”