Johnny Depp Pays Tribute to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Co-Star Tamayo Perry

Johnny Depp has paid tribute to his Pirates of the Caribbean co-star Tamayo Perry, who was recently killed in a Tiger shark attack. Perry, 49, was solo surfing near Goat Island, a wave he became synonymous with, on Oahu’s North Shore in Hawaii last month when the attack occurred. His body was reportedly found on the island by local surfers with an arm and a leg missing.

Hundreds attended his tearshed paddle out at Pipeline, including Kelly Slater, John Florence and Jack Johnson, in a royal send off fit for a North Shore icon.

A month after the tragedy, Depp took to social media to express his condolences to Perry’s family. On July 28th, Depp shared a black-and-white photograph of Perry on his Instagram Stories, sending his love and strength to Perry’s family.

“Even though it was some years ago now, I remember Tamayo well,” Depp wrote. “A lovely man, with a huge heart and zest for life… Emilia, I send you all my love and strength. You are in my thoughts. With love, Johnny.”

Depp also included a link to a GoFundMe page set up in Perry’s memory, which aims to raise funds to support his legacy. As of now, around $118,800 has been raised toward the $200,000 (£155,500) target. The GoFundMe page explained that the funds would help Perry’s widow, Emilia, navigate life without her husband.

Perry and Depp worked together in 2011 on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, alongside Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane, where Perry played the role of a swashbuckling buccaneer. Perry also had minor roles in other TV and film projects, including Charlie’s Angels 2 (2003) and episodes of Hawaii Five-O.

Outside of acting, Perry was known for being one of the most durable and committed pipeline specialists of all time – in the pantheon of grades alongside Lopez, Andy and Bruce Irons, Sean Briley, and Michael + Derek Ho.

You can read our full Tamayo tribute piece here.