Aaron Tokona (Weta, Fly My Pretties, AHoriBuzz) Has Died At Age 45

Aaron Tokona, driving force behind Weta, AHoriBuzz, Cairo Knife Fight, Bongmaster and Fly My Pretties died suddenly on Saturday 20th June of a heart attack, prompting an outpouring of appreciation and remembrance from our music community. We first heard the sad news via Clarke Gayford's eloquent tribute to the much-loved Aotearoa songwriter and guitar hero on Saturday, via Twitter:

Processing the terrible news that the wild, crazy, fruity, explosion of a frontman with a bottomless pit of talent Aaron Tokana has died suddenly. The singalongs in my backyard with Aaron playing guitar for hours on end a precious memory. RIP e hoa.https://t.co/cuDyEKaw4p

— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke) June 20, 2020

Amongst the many artists sharing their memories of Tokona was Ruban Nielson aka Unknown Mortal Orchestra:

very sad to hear of the passing of new zealand musician aaron tokona a beautiful guitarist and an unforgettable energy to be around

— UMO (@UMO) June 20, 2020

Vicki Anderson shared a heartfelt eulogy, describing Tokona as: "A bona fide rock star, he was a wonderfully eccentric and insightful musical genius but humble too." Read her words over on the Stuff site here.

Experience footage of Aaron Tokona playing a gorgeous welcoming waiata at the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards...

Take in Dan Robinson's photos of Aaron Tokona alongside a star-studded lineup playing at Pōneke's Bodega in 2013 for Like Minds - A Concert For Mental Health over here.