NCIS star dies at 61 – cause of death revealed in heartbreaking family statement

NCIS and Street Fighter actor, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo has died aged 61, his family confirmed in a statement.

The veteran TV and film star, who also appeared in Fast and the Furious, passed away early Monday morning, with his son, Manoah Peter Tuiasosopo, sharing the heartbreaking news on Facebook.

 “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 3:16am,” he penned on February 10.

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

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

Speaking to TMZ, Manoah revealed that Peter died in Phoenix, Arizona as a result of heart complications. He described his dad as “a trailblazer for Polynesian actors in Hollywood”.

Before Peter began his acting career, he had a brief stint in the NFL in the late 1980s after he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the now-defunct St. Louis Cardinals NFL team.

Later that season, he played three games with the Los Angeles Rams, who signed him again in 1988 and 1989, but he was released both times before the start of their season.

He began his acting career in 1991 in the sports film Necessary Roughness before appearing in two episodes of the short-lived sitcom Down the Shore and Danger Theater, both in 1993.

He then appeared in the 1994 Steven Seagal film On Deadly Ground before landing one of his biggest roles playing E. Honda opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue in the film adaptation of the video game, Street Fighter, released the same year.

Peter racked up an impressive roster of credits throughout his film and TV career, landing roles on the 2021 Magnum P.I. TV series as well as on Mayans M.C., New Girl, Black-ish, Ray Donovan, and NCIS.

On the big screen, he appeared in The Fast and the Furious, Charlie’s Angels, The Scorpion King, BASEketball, and Austin Powers in Goldmember.