Johnny Depp has sent “love” to the family of his Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides co-star Tamayo Perry, an Hawaiian actor who died following a shark attack.
The American actor, 61, has played the conniving Captain Jack Sparrow in the pirate franchise since its first film in 2003.
Perry died in June, after surfing at Malaekahana Beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and was survived by his wife, Emilia.
Depp posted an Instagram story, sharing a black and white photo of Perry with a surf board, on Sunday and wrote: “Even though it was some years ago now, I remember Tamayo well.
“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.”
He also shared a link to his 28.6 million followers that went to a GoFundMe page, set up to raise funds for Emilia as she “navigates the future without Tamayo; her husband, best friend and provider”.
The total raised has been 112,643 US dollars (£87,622), with a target set at 200,000 US dollars (£155,575).
It is unclear if Depp donated, but there were anonymous amounts given to the fundraise of more than 2,000 US dollars (£1,555).
The death of “legendary waterman” Perry, also known for The Bridge, Blue Crush and Hawaii Five-0, was called a “tragic loss” by local Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
Depp has not appeared in the films as Sparrow since 2017’s Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which was reportedly to be followed by a sixth film.
During his 2022 defamation trial, against former wife and The Rum Diary co-star Amber Heard, he claimed he would not return to the franchise.
He also told the court: “They didn’t remove my character from the rides. They didn’t stop selling merchandise of Captain Jack Sparrow. They didn’t stop selling dolls of Captain Jack Sparrow.
“They didn’t stop selling anything. They just didn’t want there to be something trailing behind me that they’d find.”
Depp successfully sued his former partner over a 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse, which his lawyers said falsely accused him of being an abuser.
He has since returned to feature films in French historical drama Jeanne Du Barry, in which he plays King Louis XV.
The producer of the Pirates of Caribbean films, Jerry Bruckheimer, has expressed interest in Depp returning.