He was 64.
In a statement yesterday, the family said they were ''devastated'' by the loss of a ''husband, father, pop and brother''.
''He was a much-loved family man. We are overwhelmed and comforted by all the support from all over the world,'' the statement said.
Trish McLean, of Dunedin, said Parlane, her brother-in-law, was diagnosed with mesothelioma - the cancer most commonly associated with asbestos exposure - on February 6.
The family believed he was exposed to asbestos when he worked for a Dunedin tyre company as a teenager.
Parlane was born in Roxburgh on March 19, 1951, and was one of eight children.
At the age of 10, he and his family settled in Dunedin.
''He kept strong ties to Dunedin - he was very patriotic,'' Mrs McLean said.
The former Kaikorai Valley High School pupil performed in many Dunedin bands, including Sundowners, Coastal Fog, Nevada and Neon Moon.
Parlane was nicknamed ''the singing milkman'' in Dunedin, as he delivered milk in Ravensbourne and Mosgiel.
''He was a fabulous yodeller,'' Mrs McLean said.
Parlane released his first album in 1979, Noel Parlane Country and had recorded 18 albums, releasing his latest, Everybody's Here, in New Zealand in April.
Mrs McLean said Parlane had four of his albums - Country Heartaches, Old Time Country Music, Trucks and Trains and Country Love - certified as gold for selling a certain number of copies.
He had success in several country music talent quests, including the South Island Country Music Awards, the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards, and the NZ Country Music Recording Artists Awards. In 1985, he was inducted into the Hands Of Fame at Tamworth, Australia's country music capital.
He is survived by his wife, four children and 11 grandchildren and his funeral is to held in Brisbane on Friday.
