Tamayo Perry's Widow Emilia Speaks Out After Actor's Death by Shark Attack: 'He's in a Better Place'

Emilia Perry is speaking out about the tragic death of her husband, Tamayo Perry, in a shark attack.

Tamayo, who was an actor, surfer and City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard, died Sunday, June 23, while he was surfing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu, according to the Associated Press. He was 49 years old.

In an ABC News interview that aired on Good Morning America Wednesday, June 26, Tamayo's widow said, through tears, "I feel so upset and devastated, but I also have a weird calmness in my heart knowing that he's in a better place."

"It was like I went on the best 25-year vacation of my life with him, and now it’s over," Emilia added. "Now I gotta come back to reality."

According to ABC News, Tamayo — known for roles in films like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and Blue Crush (2002) — knew the area where he was killed extremely well, and always paddled out to surf on Sundays.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary that would indicate that something bad would happen to him versus anybody else," said friend and coworker Jesse King. "It was a regular day."

Shayne Enright of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department confirmed in a press conference that authorities had responded to calls of a surfer being attacked around Mālaekahana Beach on Oahu’s North Shore just before 1 p.m. local time on Sunday.

"As you can imagine, this is [an] extremely difficult time for all of us. I ask for your kindness and your patience as we all just try to get through this next hour into these next weeks and months," Enright said, confirming that Honolulu Ocean Safety had responded to the attack via jet ski, before bringing the victim to shore.

Tamayo death by shark attack is only the ninth time such an event has happened in Hawaii in the last three decades. Another man was bit on Tuesday, June 25, and an "aggressive" shark was spotted near Oahu, per ABC News.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Despite his own fate, the late star's loved ones are convinced he'd tell other surfers to continue doing so.

"For people that are surfers and avid ocean users, we do it because we love it," King told ABC News.

Emilia said that Tamayo was a devout Christian, even texting his family before he died, "I can't wait to meet the king. I'm excited, not scared. We got to pray and forgive and love," per the station.

And her late husband's legacy is all about "how to be a better human," Emilia said.

"To love everybody when you have them, 'cause you never know when they're gonna be taken away," she added.