Tributes to iconic busker
Queenstown's dreadlocked street piano player AJ Hickling has died after a short battle with cancer.
The much-loved 47-year-old was one of the most recognised and photographed performers on the town's waterfront for more than a decade, playing a distinctive open piano he'd rescued from a rubbish dump and restored.
He died on 29 December, surrounded by family and close friends at his home in Westport, just three months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
A Givealittle page has been created by friend Karma Barnes to fundraise for his tangi and support his family - his partner Freja, five-year-old son Ra, daughter Dyani, 14, and stepdaughter Jali, 15.
Barnes says Hickling's death is a "profound loss" following a "swift, yet fierce and courageous journey with pancreatic cancer".
"AJ faced this with resilience and grace all the while not wanting to part from his family, children, home, community & the music that defined him."
She says his music enriched people's lives and made the world more beautiful.
"AJ's influence on New Zealand's musical, festival and busking culture is deeply felt, he has graced, inspired and given so much to so many of us, touching the lives of many both in his homeland and beyond."
Partner Freja, on the page, thanks the community and tribe of friends that has "held us so tenderly through this storm and continue to hold us."
"I love you," she says. "My heart is broken and shredded, but you hold me in your net."
Hickling began playing piano at just two years old, and trained as a classical pianist while also learning other instruments.
He composed scores of pieces, entertained crowds with beautiful and complex arrangements, and sold thousands of CDs over the years, supporting his lifestyle as a globe trotting and travelling musician. His final work 'Orchestral Dreams' is available for download via bandcamp, with a donation "in the spirit of busking".
Dozens of people have left tributes to Hickling online and on the Givealittle page, which raised almost $20,000 in three days and continues to grow.
