25/06/2025
This one hits deep. David Hekili Kenui Bell—beloved brother, actor, storyteller, airport voice, and spirit full of aloha—has walked on, just weeks after celebrating his big-screen debut in the live-action Lilo & Stitch. And if you ask me, that wasn’t just a role. That was ceremony. That was him showing up on behalf of all the big-hearted Island uncles—the ones who greet you with warmth, carry culture in their cadence, and make you feel like you’re home.
From the PA system at Kona Airport to the silver screen, from pidgin jokes to powerful presence, David embodied something rare and real. His voice wasn’t just heard—it was felt. Deep. Familiar. Like the kind of voice that welcomes your spirit back to the land.
What stays with me is how his sister Jalene spoke of him: not just with pride, but with that kind of ache that comes from knowing you’ve truly loved someone and been loved in return. You could feel the bond in every word. The excitement of that movie night. The joy of seeing him finally get his moment. The heartbreak of it being their last.
We don’t talk enough about men like David. Gentle warriors. Cultural bridges. The kind of brother who shows up for family, cracks jokes while carrying generations on his shoulders, and makes space for laughter in the middle of the storm.
He was proud of where he came from. Proud of his voice. Proud of his ‘ohana. He made his moment matter, and it mattered to us—to the fans, the keiki, the kupuna, the culture bearers who recognized something familiar in his smile.
I imagine him now, up there with the ancestors, cracking a joke, handing out shave ice, and keeping the crowd lifted with that same booming spirit.
Rest easy, Big Hawaiian Guy. You made it to the screen, but more importantly—you made it to the hearts of your people.
Aloha ‘oe, David. Your story will live in us like a good breeze, like laughter echoing across lava rock, like a name spoken with love.
—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network
