Police yesterday confirmed another person had died of their injuries in Middlemore Hospital.
Friends and US news outlet Atlanta Journal-Constitution media have named that person as Pratap "Paul" Singh, an Atlanta-based philanthropist whose wife, Mayuri, died of her injuries on December 22.
Singh had suffered burns to more than 40 per cent of his body, while his wife had burns to 70 per cent.
The pair are survived by their 3 children - an 11-year-old son and 6-year-old twins.
It brings the total of those to so far die after eruption to 21, including tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman and teenage Australian tourist Winona Langford whose bodies have not yet been located.
Twenty-three people now remain in hospitals in both New Zealand and Australia. Three patients remain in a critical condition in Kiwi hospitals.
Swadesh Katoch wrote how he had tears in his eyes as he wrote about Singh, who he said was "very well known for his philanthropic work in Atlanta especially in African American community in downtown area".
"Pratap ji was a self-made person who landed in US with no money, no degrees and no place to go but made his name. Someone should make a movie on his enrich life/ his lifestyle/ his struggle and how he rose from zero to this level.
"Short life but very well lived," he wrote.
Singh was the Atlanta branch president of Sewa International, a not-for-profit organisation "inspired by the noble tradition of service before self" which also promoted philanthropy.
Another friend also expressed her heartache after learning of Singh's death.
"Life takes a cruel turn when you least expect it," she wrote on Facebook.
"After Mayuri's sad demise, her soulmate decided to join her with God. Pratap 'Paul' Singh was a loyal friend and family. He left behind a great legacy of service, love and faith but none greater than the precious children who'll now feel the wrath of this cold world. They are the ones who are in my prayers everyday."
