New Girl, Street Fighter, The Fast and the Furious star Peter Navy Tuiasosopo dies, aged 61

Actor Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, best known for his roles in high-octane blockbuster Fast and the Furious, Street Fighter, and 2010s sitcom New Girl, has died at the age of 61.

Tuiasosopo’s son, Manoah Peter, penned an emotional tribute to Facebook, announcing the actor’s death on Monday.

“With a heavy heart, my family and I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Our father Peter N. Tuiasosopo passed away this morning at 3.16 am,” he wrote.

He did not initially share his father’s cause of death in the post, but later told TMZ the Magnum PI actor died from heart complications.

“My dad lived an amazing life and in no way does his impact stop here,” his tribute reads.

“We will continue to live with him in spirit, and as saddened as we are, he is without a doubt in Heaven with his brothers, sisters, parents, daughter, and Jesus, and no longer in pain.

“His strength, love, compassion, and kindness will forever be felt.”

Speaking to TMZ, Manoah described his father as a “trailblazer for Polynesian actors in Hollywood”.

Tuiasosopo was born in San Pedro, California on May 25, 1963. He played American football with the Los Angeles Rams in 1987 before embarking on an acting career in the 1990s.

His first film role was in the sports comedy Necessary Roughness. He played Manumana, a member of the fictional Texas State football team. He followed that role with a part in the 1994 Steven Seagal film On Deadly Ground.

That same year, he had a breakout role as E. Honda in the live action adaptation of the popular video game Street Fighter, starring alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue and the late Raúl Juliá.

Tiuasosopo’s Street Fighter co-star Ming Na-Wen posted a tribute to the late actor, writing he was “a teddy bear of a man”. She said she had “many fond memories working with Peter”.

Another of Tuiasosopo’s notable roles included the 2001 high-octane blockbuster The Fast and the Furious, alongside Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. He also played sports star Ed Tuttle in BASEketball (1998), and Willie Domaine in the 2009 John Cena film 12 Rounds.

Tuiasosopo had smaller parts in a number of films including Batman & Robin, Charlie’s Angels, The Scorpion King (a prequel to The Mummy), Austin Powers in Gold Member, and the 2008 cult classic Speed Racer.

Tuiasosopo also appeared on TV programs in guest roles throughout his career and across a number of genres. His debut was in 1993 Danger Theatre as detective Al Hamoki, opposite Adam West.

He later appeared in several episodes of Easy Money, and The Young and the Restless as well as a recurring role as Big Bob in the Zooey Deschanel-led sitcom New Girl.

He appeared in an episode of NCIS, Ray Donovan, Black-ish, and a 2021 reboot of Magnum P.I.