David Hekili Kenui Bell, the actor best known for his recent turn in Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, has died, per a Facebook post shared by his sister Jalene Kanani Bell. A cause of death was not listed.
“It is with a heavy heart I share that my sweet, generous, talented, funny, brilliant and handsome little brother David H. K. Bell will spend today in the company of our Heavenly Father,” she wrote.
Per Bell’s social media, he was a member of SAG-AFTRA, having appeared in episodes of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I., both CBS procedurals. His Facebook also indicated he had additional projects in the pipeline. According to his IMDb Pro page, he was in post-production for The Wrecking Crew, a forthcoming Amazon MGM Studios action-comedy starring Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa as two polar-opposite half-brothers who must work together to unravel the conspiracy behind their father’s murder in Hawaii.
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In this year’s live-action adaptation of the 2002 animated family-comedy classic Lilo & Stitch, Bell portrays a stand-in of sorts to the white tourist character who drops his mint chocolate chip ice cream repeatedly, unable to eat it. In the 2025 film, Bell, a native Hawaiian, instead drops his shaved ice when he sees Jumba (Zach Galifianakis) and Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) open the portal to the island.
Two weeks ago, the actor shared his audition tape for “Big Hawaiian Dude,” as well as behind-the-scenes photos from filming. In an earlier Instagram post, he wrote, “Now, Mahalo to all who worked on this film! I knew it would be special to attend a Cast and CREW screening and it didn’t disappoint! Was so awesome to see so many of the true stars in my opinion, our local crew in Hawaii. They deserve just as much or more recognition! Was also happy to see so much of the cast, especially those of us that round out the world of live-action Lilo & Stitch that the filmmakers so masterfully constructed.”
“David loved being an actor, doing voiceovers, spending time with Brutus traveling as an ambassador for Kona Brew,” his sister shared. “The film industry and entertainment was so exciting to him and I loved that he enjoyed the arts. He went to Punahou and Kalani while our dad spoke Hawaiian so his ability to deliver lines with English understanding, Indigenous knowledge and Pidgen to da Max…made him a diamond in the rough You can hear him over the PA system on arrival at Kona Airport where he loved working to create an awesome and safe customer experience.”
Bell studied at Kalani High School, Hawaii Community College and Kapiolani Community College, per his Facebook. Prior to his death, he worked as an assistant airport superintendent at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole.
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