{"id":480872,"date":"2026-06-16T22:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T22:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/480872\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T22:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T22:56:13","slug":"fans-invited-to-farewell-dame-jools-topp-at-viaduct-events-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/480872\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans invited to farewell Dame Jools Topp at Viaduct Events Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those who cannot attend in person, the memorial will be livestreamed on the nzherald.co.nz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jools was one half of the legendary folk duo The Topp Twins alongside Lynda, their career in comedy, music and activism spanning more than four decades.<\/p>\n

She had lived with breast cancer since 2006, publicly sharing her experience with the disease for much of that time. <\/p>\n

Lynda shared Jools\u2019 final message to New Zealanders with 1News last month, thanking the country for \u201cbeing there\u201d for the pair.<\/p>\n

\"DamesDames Jools and her sister Dame Lynda Topp entertained New Zealanders for decades. Photo \/ Alyse Wright<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t have done it without you. You made us who we are, you made us the Topp Twins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wearing Jools\u2019 greenstone pendant, Lynda said her \u201cvery special twin sister\u201d had lived a good life and had a good death surrounded by family.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, I ask every single one of you out there in New Zealand to hold your loved ones close.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for every person out there and family that are going through cancer, to be there for them, and love them, and hold them in your hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sisters were widely regarded as national treasures, admired for their humour, advocacy and Kiwi-style performances.<\/p>\n

An outpouring of grief and tributes followed the news of Jools\u2019 death.<\/p>\n

Her family led the tributes as they announced her death on May 26, describing her as a \u201cbeloved sister and daughter\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we have lost a true warrior woman. Jools was wise, courageous, generous, inspiring and funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern thanked Jools for all she did for the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really describe an icon, but you can thank them. Rest in peace and love, Dame Jools Topp. With so much gratitude for all you did for Aotearoa, New Zealand. Xx,\u201d Ardern said on social media.<\/p>\n

Journalist and broadcaster Miriama Kamo said: \u201cI\u2019m heartbroken about Jools\u2019 passing. She and her beautiful twinnie Lynda have been the soundtrack of my life, of the lives of so many [New Zealanders].<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just entertainers but allies, fighters, stalwarts for what\u2019s right, what matters. Today our hearts break, even as we sing Jools\u2019 song.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For those who cannot attend in person, the memorial will be livestreamed on the nzherald.co.nz. Jools was one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1975,1558,14645,9063,1550,2947,111329,156,3685,9517,2688,31993,170559,424,2225,3025,34535,111,139,69,26346,61,170558,42916,80],"class_list":["post-480872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-at","tag-been","tag-beloved","tag-celebration","tag-centre","tag-dame","tag-entertainers","tag-entertainment","tag-events","tag-fans","tag-farewell","tag-invited","tag-jools","tag-life","tag-loss","tag-most","tag-mourns","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-planned","tag-to","tag-topp","tag-viaduct","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}