'Shallow Hal' Star Joshua Shintani Dies at 32

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Joshua Shintani, the actor best known for his role in Shallow Hal who went by the nickname Li’iBoy, died in Kauai, H.I., according to a Monday report from TMZ. He was 32.

Joshua’s mother rushed him to an emergency room early last week, TMZ reports. Joshua died on Wednesday after doctors discovered he was battling advanced pneumonia.

The actor appeared in only one film, the 2001 comedy Shallow Hal starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. Shintani played the Hawaiian man who strummed his ukulele to the song “Never Forget Where I’m From” while sitting next to Jason Alexander’s character on a bench.

Director Peter Farrelly was vacationing in Hawaii when he discovered Shintani — a high school senior at the time — while he was playing his ukulele outside a public library. He was flown to Los Angeles for a screen test and landed the part immediately after.

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