Results for obituary

It was with profound sadness, that we learned of the death in Washington D.C. of the eminent scholar and great friend of Tonga, Adrienne L. Kaeppler (86), this weekend. Vava'u Press Ltd, publishers of Matangi Tonga Online, were privileged to have worked with Adrienne over the last 35 years. An American research anthropologist and writer, known for her books devoted to the culture of Tonga and Hawaii, Adrienne brought to the English-speaking world important insights into Polynesian cultures, especially Tonga, Hawaii and Rapa Nui, and also Asian dance, in a body of scientific work written over five decades. Her insights were also greatly appreciated by the people and cultures she worked with. - MLF.

One of Tonga’s greatest musicians, Bill Sevesi (born Wilfred Jeffs), passed away yesterday April 23. He was aged 92. Bill Sevesi was an early pioneer of modern Pacific Island Music and is credited with popularising and introducing the Hawaiian guitar key to Tonga and other Pacific Islands. Bill also introduced Tongan music to the airwaves for the first time. He was inducted in the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Former Deputy Police Commissioner (Community Policing) Taniela Faletau (58) was laid to rest today Monday, 16 November at Takaunove Cemetery in Nuku’alofa.

Dr Marilyn Meier-Kapavale (48) the noted international concert pianist has died in Australia early this morning after battling a rare form of liver cancer. Marilyn's funeral will be held at the Camden Uniting Church, NSW, on July 3 at 10:00am.

George 'Alipate Tupou or 'Baron Vaea' as he became better known, was the 12th Prime Minister of Tonga, presiding over the Pacific nation from 1991 until 2000. - Article from the New Zealand Defence Force.