David Hekili Kenui Bell, best known for his appearance in Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, has died.
News of his death was shared on Facebook by his sister Jalene Kanani Bell. No cause of death has been shared.
“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.
On Lilo & Stitch, he played a character named Big Hawaiian Dude, a nod to the Ice Cream Man – a running gag in the animated films, where a hapless tourist repeatedly drops his ice cream before he can eat it. In the 2025 live action version, Big Hawaiian Dude drops his shaved ice when he sees Zach Galifianakis’s Jumba and Billy Magnussen’s Pleakley open the portal to the island.
Two weeks ago, Bell had shared a video of his audition tape for Big Hawaiian Dude, along with several behind-the-scenes photos from the set. In a previous Instagram post, he gave a shout out to the cast and crew from the film, writing: “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. Until the next one, Ohana!”
According to Bell’s bio, he had also appeared in episodes of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum PI. His IMDb page also lists that he was working on Amazon MGM Studios’ forthcoming film The Wrecking Crew, which also stars Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa.
His sister’s message also shared: “David loved being an actor, doing voiceovers, spending time with Brutus traveling as an ambassador for Kona Brew. 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.”
