“Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and lifeguard turned 49

“Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and lifeguard Tamayo Perry has died at the age of 49 after an apparent shark attack.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Perry’s death in an email to USA TODAY on Monday. The cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results, the agency reported.

The attack reportedly occurred Sunday afternoon off the Hawaiian island of Oahu, authorities told the Associated Press and CNN.

The Honolulu Ocean Safety Department and other emergency responders arrived on Oahu’s north shore to find Perry, a lifeguard, after receiving a 911 call about a man in the water who appeared to have been fatally injured in a shark attack. Rescue workers pronounced him dead at the scene, authorities told media.

USA TODAY has reached out to Honolulu Emergency Services and Honolulu Ocean Safety for comment.

Need a break? Play USA TODAY’s daily crossword puzzle.

Kurt Lager, acting director of Honolulu Ocean Safety, told the Associated Press that Perry was “a lifeguard loved by all.”

“He’s a world-renowned professional surfer,” Lager said at a press conference, according to the outlet. “Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else even more.”

Perry “was a model of bravery, commitment and a deep sense of duty, serving our community with unwavering devotion. His heroic actions and tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors will never be forgotten,” Hawaii Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement to CNN.

Perry played a buccaneer in 2011’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Spike in an episode of Hawaii Five-0. He also played the role of Tamayo in the 2002 film Blue Crush and was a stuntman for the 2004 Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman film The Big Bounce.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean’Franchise to be rebooted, says producer Jerry Bruckheimer

Shark attacks are considered rare. The Florida Museum, a state natural history museum, estimates the probability of being attacked by a shark at 1 in 11.5 million.

How common are shark attacksin the US? Take a close look at the latest data.

Worldwide, there were 69 unprovoked shark bites on humans in 2023, 36 of which occurred in the United States. Two of the 36 were fatal: one in Hawaii, the other in California. Florida saw 16 shark attacks, as in previous years, more than any other state, according to the Florida Museum’s report “The International Shark Attack File.”

Related Posts

Everyone thought our father was a firefighter hero – but behind closed doors he raped us since we were six years old

A man with a police badge killed April 27 in East Oakland

Stony Point welcomes new police chief