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 / Tūhua and Bowentown in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, south of Te Puke and to Maketu in the east. ...

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 th ...

. 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 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 ...

. Tokona grew up in

Naenae Naenae (, occasionally spelled NaeNae) is a suburb of Lower Hutt, New Zealand. 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 ...

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, 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#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

and attending Naenae College. It was while attending the school, that he took part in the Smokefree Rockquest that help launch his musical career. He performed as AHoriBuzz and was part of bands Weta,

Cairo Knife Fight Cairo Knife Fight (CKF) is a rock band originating from New Zealand, founded in 2007 by musical artist Nick Gaffaney, featuring a drum and guitar duo incorporating real-time layered loops. History Cairo Knife Fight (CKF) began as Nick Gaffane ...

, Bongmaster and

Fly My Pretties __NOTOC__ Fly My Pretties is a collaboration of musicians originally from Wellington, New Zealand who are known for coming together to record live albums, in various locations in New Zealand. The different musical backgrounds of the members make ...

, 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 Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

Clarke Gayford Clarke Timothy Gayford (born October 1976) is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster, presenter of the fishing documentary show ''Fish of the Day''. He is the husband of Jacinda Ardern, who served as prime minister of New Zealand from Oct ...

, 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 (also known as UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band from Auckland and now based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Ruban Nielson, assisted by his brother The Mint Chicks, Kod ...

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 c ...

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