Tamayo Perry, a Hawaiian surfer and actor who starred in movies such as “Pirates of the Caribbean,” sadly passed away last week after being bitten by a shark in Hawaii. The 49-year-old, who was also a Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard, was surfing off the Hawaiian island Oahu when he was attacked. His widow, Emilia Perry, spoke with “Good Morning America” about the devastating incident. “I feel so upset and devastated, but I also have a weird calmness in my heart knowing that he’s in a better place,” said Perry. “It was like I went on the best 25-year vacation of my life with him, and now it’s over.” Emilia’s belief that her husband is in a better place stems from his Christian faith. Before his death, Tamayo reportedly texted his family, “I can’t wait to meet the king. I’m excited, not scared. We got to pray and forgive and love.” The widow expressed her sadness and reminded viewers of one thing: “To love everybody when you have them, ‘cause you never know when they’re gonna be taken away.”

Perry is known for his roles in films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Blue Crush” as well as appearing in an episode of “Hawaii Five-O.” Perry’s friends said that there was nothing out of the ordinary on Sunday when he paddled out into the ocean. “There was nothing out of the ordinary that would indicate that something bad would happen to him versus anybody else,” said friend and coworker Jesse King. “It was a regular day.” Honolulu Emergency Services confirmed the accident in a press conference later that day saying authorities had responded to calls of a surfer being attacked around 1 p.m. on Oahu’s North Shore. “As you can imagine, this is [an] extremely difficult time for all of us. I ask for your kindness and your patience as we all just try to get through this next hour into these next weeks and months,” said officials.

Tamayo’s passing is only the ninth death by shark attack in Hawaii over the last three decades. Tamayo’s loved ones are convinced that he would tell other surfers to continue doing so. Jesse King said, “For people that are surfers and avid ocean users, we do it because we love it.”