‘Shallow Hal’ actor Joshua Shintani dies at 32

Joshua Shintani, a ukulele player who appeared in the 2001 comedy Shallow Hal, has died. He was only 32 years old.

Shintani’s mother told TMZ that he was rushed to the emergency room last week on Kauai in Hawaii. Doctors said that he was battling pneumonia and he died on Wednesday.

Shintani was just a high school senior when he was seen by co-director Peter Farrelly when he was vacationing in Hawaii. Farrelly saw him playing his ukulele and signed him on the spot to be in Shallow Hal.

The film was directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly and stars Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jason Alexander. It was the only movie Shintani appeared in.

He “had a soul that glowed like a lighthouse. We feel honored to have known him,” a rep for the Farrelly brothers told TMZ.