Earlier this week, surfing legend and Pirates of The Caribbean actor Tamayo Perry died in a devastating shark attack. However, according to family, it wasn't his first brush with death.
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His wife never expected Perry to become a victim of a gruesome shark attack. "It's like knowing you could get in a car and get in a car accident," Emilia Perry told New York Post. "You don't, you don't, you don't, then you do."
Perry died after a shark attacked him on his surfboard. Over the years, Perry faced dangerous situations in the name of the sport that he loved. For one, a gnarly leg gash almost severed his femoral artery one time during surfing. During another time, a surf board hit him in the head.
"He hit his head in 2004 and he got 50 stitches and 25 staples," Emilia said. Surfers are well aware of the risks of sharks, but they never let it stop them. "We all talk about it, but if you love surfing it's not gonna stop you from paddling out," said Jesse King, a friend of Perry's.
Tamayo Perry Remembered
Emilia said that her husband had a larger-than-life attitude. The two were happy together after meeting in 1998 while surfing the Banzai Pipeline, a reef on the North Shore. It's the same beach where Perry became a lifeguard and latter died.
"We had so much fun. It was awesome. He had a really beautiful, full life. It was really, really fun. Just constant laughter," Emilia said. She said her husband enjoyed being there to rescue people.
"There's lots of rescues he's done. He's pulled his best friends out. He's pulled strangers out. None of it's easy, it's a very heroic job," Emilia said. "It's crazy — every CPR case to Tomayo worked on, they've come back."
Following his passing, people throughout the world reached out to send their condolences.
"The North Shore is a tight community, but it's actually this massive surfing community," Emilia said. "Because in the surfing world you travel everywhere, you meet surfers, we're friends with surfers from Australia, all over the world."
His friends miss him.
"He was full of life. Full of passion in everything he did. He never did anything with partial effort. He did everything full throttle all the time," Jesse also agreed. "Any room he was in, he would bring the light with him. He always just made time for you."
Emilia still remembers the last moment she saw Perry alive. "It was just like another beautiful day," she said. "He woke up, gave me a bunch of kisses, say goodbye, I love you. Then he to work, and he didn't come home."
