Tamayo Perry, Pirates of the Caribbean actor and professional surfer, remembered as a ‘shining soul’ after fatal shark attack

In the days following Tamayo Perry’s death in a shark attack, his wife and a longtime friend remembered the famous Hawaiian surfer as a “bright soul” who was “larger than life.”

Perry, a lifeguard who also appeared in several Hollywood films, died Sunday after being attacked by a shark while on a break from his shift while surfing on Oahu’s North Shore, his friend and co-worker Jesse King said Wednesday.

Emilia Perry, Perry’s wife, said her husband often got stranded on a wave during his break and that this kept the island’s lifeguards “fit” to rescue surfers in 20-foot waves.

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

King said Tamayo Perry started his shift at 8 a.m. and took a break from surfing later in the day. While he was gone, King – who, like Perry, works as a lifeguard in Honolulu – said they received a 911 call about a person being attacked by a shark.

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

Emilia Perry said she heard the news in her car and had to “just go on autopilot” to get home, crying and praying it couldn’t be true.

“When I came home, it was real,” she said. “But I also knew in my heart that he was really happy” because he had made it to 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 this is what holds them together.

King and Emilia Perry said they and their community are “heartbroken,” but “there is also this strange calm that he is in a really beautiful place,” Emilia Perry said.

Before his death, he sent a message to some friends saying that he was happy but not afraid of going to heaven.

Experienced surfer and lifeguard

He was also an excellent surfer and lifeguard and his faith was integrated into these roles.

“It just takes a certain kind of person and a certain kind of skill because there aren’t many people who get to try out as a lifeguard on the North Shore. It’s definitely for the best, 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 appeared as an actor in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” as well as in television series such as “Lost”.

The Perrys ran a surf school together, teaching “ocean safety and awareness and how to stay safe while having fun,” she said.

King said: “He went out there to educate the public, to talk to people, to get them to a safer place and to prevent bad things from happening. He also saved countless lives through his good work as a lifeguard.”

There is a feeling among lifeguards, King said, that “there is a gap that will never be filled.”

“That’s something that anyone can aspire to. They can try to follow in his footsteps and do as good a job as he did,” he said.

“A bright soul”

Tamayo Perry “loved everyone, and everyone loved him in return because they could all see that he was really who he was,” King said.

He said Perry was “a really fun friend” who thrived when interacting and talking with people.

“Tamayo was a beacon of light; he’s just a shining soul. And wherever he went, he lit up the room,” King said.

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

“I’m just very grateful for the 25 years I’ve had,” but “I wish it had been more,” she said. “But you can’t change what happened. You can’t turn back time.”

Tamayo Perry’s family and friends are planning a surfer paddle-out ceremony and celebration of his life for July 14, “but knowing his luck,” Emilia Perry joked, “it could be 10-foot waves that day, right?”