Dame Jools Topp died on Saturday at her home north of Auckland, the day after she and sister Lynda received a Country Music Honours award at the opening night of the Tussock Country music festival.
The honour celebrates members of the country music community who have not only achieved great heights of their own but uplifted others and contributed to the past, present and future of country music in New Zealand.
New Zealand Songwriters Trust chairwoman Vanessa Harvey released a statement on Monday extending their ‘‘deepest condolences’’ from the Country Music Honours, the MLT New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards and the Tussock Country music festival.
‘‘Jools has always been a huge part of the Gold Guitar Awards in particular, and her presence, humour, generosity and talent will be profoundly missed by our country music community and by all who knew and loved her.’’
‘‘[Dame Jools] was just the most fun-loving, wonderful person,’’ Gore Country Music Club president Julie Mitchell said.
‘‘She and Lynda paved the way for people to be proud of who they are, to just get on with it. That’s just how they were successful in my opinion.
‘‘When they were in Gore they just reminded everyone of that.
‘‘Jools was so encouraging for young people to give it a go. On all their tours, they had this philosophy; they said if the doors open for you, put your foot in and hold it for others to get through.
‘‘That’s the unquestionable trademark for me of their support of young people.’’
At Friday night’s event, a video was shared celebrating the twins’ journey through the industry, featuring the many prominent names and musicians the twins made an impact of throughout their time.
Since the Topp Twins’ first appearance at the Gold Guitar Awards in 1995, the pair have had a fiercely loyal connection to Gore and its country music heritage.
Dame Jools Topp died on Saturday at her home north of Auckland, the day after she and sister Lynda received a Country Music Honours award at the opening night of the Tussock Country music festival.
The honour celebrates members of the country music community who have not only achieved great heights of their own but uplifted others and contributed to the past, present and future of country music in New Zealand.
New Zealand Songwriters Trust chairwoman Vanessa Harvey released a statement on Monday extending their ‘‘deepest condolences’’ from the Country Music Honours, the MLT New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards and the Tussock Country music festival.
‘‘[Dame Jools] was just the most fun-loving, wonderful person,’’ Gore Country Music Club president Julie Mitchell said.
‘‘She and Lynda paved the way for people to be proud of who they are, to just get on with it. That’s just how they were successful in my opinion.
‘‘When they were in Gore they just reminded everyone of that.
‘‘Jools was so encouraging for young people to give it a go. On all their tours, they had this philosophy; they said if the doors open for you, put your foot in and hold it for others to get through.
‘‘That’s the unquestionable trademark for me of their support of young people.’’
At Friday night’s event, a video was shared celebrating the twins’ journey through the industry, featuring the many prominent names and musicians the twins made an impact of throughout their time.
‘‘Without the Toppies taking me under their wings, uplifting me and bringing me around New Zealand on tour with them countless times, I would not be the artist or the person that I am today,’’ the award’s 2025 inaugural recipient Tami Neilson said.
‘‘They are the touchstone that grounds me and the standard to which I always strive.’’
The musical duo have visited Gore many times since that first appearance at the 1995 awards, where they shared the bill with Eddie Low.
Allied Media regions editor Angela Walker covered that first performance for The Ensign and recalled the ease with which the two unabashed left-wing lesbians completely won over the audience from the first note.
‘‘In what was a fairly conservative town, they had the audience in the palm of their hands for the entire show,’’ she said.
‘‘They were just consummate performers.’’
They returned to perform at the awards in 2006 and 2008, and also visited for occasions such as the Gore Country Music Club’s Hands of Fames presentation in 2014 and to take part in a fundraising concert for the St John Hokonui rebuild in 2015.
On a visit to the town in 2009, the twins said Gore was ‘‘always on the map for us’’.
‘‘It’s such a sweet little town and the people are really into their country music.’’
They have also described Gore as a ‘‘port of call’’, finding a good mix of rural living, music loving and trout fishing.
Dame Jools, 68, died 22 years after first being diagnosed with breast cancer.
A statement from her sister said she was surrounded by friends and family in her home.
‘‘Now she is finally free to ride on Pegasus, her winged horse, and round up sheep again with our dad Peter and all her precious dogs.’’
