Who is Allison Chu? Former Miss Hawaii mourns the death of fiancé Hopena Pokipala

Allison Chu is mourning the loss of her fiancé, Fullerton “Hopena” Pokipala, who died in a UTV crash in Waimanalo, Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday night. The victim was 30 years old at the time of the fatal accident.

Chu, a singer, model, and actress from Honolulu, Hawaii, is best known as a former Miss Hawaii and Miss Hawaii USA.

Since her fiancé's demise, Allison has been reposting tribute posts on her Instagram Stories.

Allison Chu got engaged to the late Pokipala in December 2024 on her birthday, as indicated by her Instagram pictures. In May 2025, the couple shared pictures and videos from their engagement photoshoot.

Everything you need to know about Allison Chu

Multihyphenate Allison Chu is a singer, model, actress, opera performer, pageant winner, and entrepreneur. She began training in classical opera at the age of 6 and performed at the Hawaii Opera Theater and the Hawaii Youth Opera chorus group.

Chu started taking Hawaiian music lessons when she was 7 and is now a recording artist. Her popular songs include Karma, Ride This Wave, Akaka Falls, and Seeing U Tonight, among others. Allison is the recipient of three Hawaii Music Awards and two Omni Youth Music Awards.

According to her website, she is also a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, violin, piano, and ukulele. In 2004, Allison Chu became a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, popularly called the Grammys.

She has been modelling since 2011 and was originally signed to Wilhelmina Models and worked across Hawaii, Los Angeles, and New York City, followed by NYC-based MSA Models in 2014. LA-based agencies NEXT Model Management and Anna Liza Recto of BOLD LP Management now represent Allison Chu. She has worked with several designers and walked in the 2014 New York Fashion Week.

Allison Chu began as a child actor and played the titular role in the film Little Lost Girl of Manoa Valley. However, the SAG-AFTRA member is best remembered for her debut in the TV show, Hawaii Five-0 (2010). Chu appeared in Kimora Lee Simmons’ Life in the Fab Lane and other stage productions, including playing Maria in West Side Story in Honolulu.

Her latest acting projects included Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. in 2021 and Rescue: HI Surf in 2024, as per IMDb.

Also a digital content creator and influencer, Allison has over 22.4K followers on Instagram. She uses the pronouns she/ her. According to her Instagram bio, she is associated with the modelling agencies Elite NYC, Innovative Artists, and Renew Artists Hawaii.

Chu is an entrepreneur and restaurateur who runs the mobile oyster and caviar event caterer, Oysters Hawaii. The business operates across Hawaii, Las Vegas, and California. She co-founded the food business with her late fiancé.

Pokipala was a longshoreman, canoe paddler, builder, and aspiring politician who ran for state house last year, as per Hawaii News Now reports. The deceased Kailua native was an alum of Kamehameha Schools Kapalama and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

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According to local authorities, Pokipala was driving his UTV northbound on Hihimanu Street in Honolulu around 8 pm on September 20, when he reportedly missed a stop sign at the Kalanianaole Highway intersection.

Subsequently, he collided with a 74-year-old motorist travelling eastbound, which led his UTV to roll over. Pokipala was soon hospitalized in serious condition, but was declared dead. The medical examiner ruled it an accident, as per Honolulu News Now.

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