Aaron Arana Tokona (28 October 1975 – 20 June 2020) was a New Zealand guitarist and singer. Tokona was descended from

Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāi Te Rangi or Ngāiterangi is a Māori iwi, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. Its rohe (tribal area) extends to Mayor Island / Tuhua and Bowentown in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, south of Te Puke and to Maketu in the east. Ng ...

and

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the ...

. This heritage played a significant role in his upbringing through his grandparents, who were well versed in Māoritanga, and inspired him as a performer after seeing other Māori artists, such as

Billy T James William James Te Wehi Taitoko (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991) better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and a ...

and

Prince Tui Teka Tumanako "Tui" Teka (8 March 193723 January 1985), better known by his stage names Tui Latui or Prince Tui Teka was a Māori singer and actor. Teka was a member of the Maori Volcanics Showband before having a successful solo career. Career T ...

. Tokona grew up in

Naenae Naenae (, occasionally spelled NaeNae) is a suburb of Lower Hutt. It lies on the eastern edge of the floodplain of the Hutt River, four kilometres from the Lower Hutt Central business district. A small tributary of the Hutt, the Waiwhetu Stre ...

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most ...

and attending

Naenae College Naenae College, is a state-run coeducational secondary school located in north-central Lower Hutt, New Zealand. It is situated on a site in the suburb of Avalon. The school was founded in 1953 to serve the Naenae state housing development, alt ...

. It was while attending the school, that he took part in the

Smokefree Rockquest Smokefreerockquest (SFRQ) is an annual music competition for intermediate and high school bands throughout New Zealand. The first Rockquest was held in 1988, and was organised by Christchurch radio station C93FM as a local event. The following ...

that help launch his musical career. He performed as AHoriBuzz and was part of bands Weta, Cairo Knife Fight, Bongmaster and Fly My Pretties, and collaborated with some of New Zealand's most noted musicians. Tokona died on 20 June 2020 after suffering a heart attack at home. He had one daughter.

Death

Tokona's death was announced on 20 June 2020, following a sudden heart attack. The news was met with an outpouring of condolences from former bandmates, figures in the music industry and other New Zealand personalities. Partner of Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the L ...

Clarke Gayford Clarke Timothy Gayford (born 24 October 1976) is a New Zealand radio and television broadcaster, presenter of the fishing documentary show ''Fish of the Day''. He is the fiancé of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Education and caree ...

, described Tokona as a "wild, crazy, fruity, explosion of a frontman with a bottomless pit of talent", while former music industry executive Morgan Donoghue described him as "the sweetest guy and the most masterful guitarist." New Zealand band

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland, primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jake Portrait. The band is currently based in Portland, Oregon, United ...

said that Tokona had an "unforgettable energy", while

Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional cha ...

music editor Vicki Anderson described him as a "big-hearted, beautiful man with a flair for the flamboyant."

References

External links

* 1975 births 2020 deaths 21st-century New Zealand male singers Place of death missing New Zealand male guitarists Ngāi Te Rangi people Ngāti Maniapoto people The Superjesus members People from Tauranga {{NewZealand-musician-stub