Tributes for Sir Howard Morrison

Sir Howard Morrison's appeal spanned every age group, Prime Minister John Key said. Photo / Herald on Sunday

New Zealand has lost one of its greatest and most loved entertainers with the death of Sir Howard Morrison, Prime Minister John Key said today.

Sir Howard, died in Rotorua this morning, aged 74.

Mr Key, speaking from New York where he is at the United Nations, says Sir Howard had been at the forefront of New Zealand music for more than 50 years and his contribution was immense.

"Sir Howard was a New Zealand success story. From humble beginnings he became an international success, first with the Howard Morrison Quartet, and then in an illustrious solo career," Mr Key said.

"But more than that, Sir Howard was one of New Zealand's best loved entertainers, his appeal spanning every age group.

"I pay tribute to a real gentleman. My thoughts are with his whanau at this time. Sir Howard Morrison will be greatly missed."

The Maori Party said Sir Howard touched the hearts of New Zealanders with his incredible talent.

"Sir Howard's music, and his style of entertainment, transcended national and cultural boundaries to lift the spirits of people great and small in every corner of the world," said Dr Pita Sharples.

"Howard took the songs of our people, the songs of his beloved village of Ohinemutu to the world," he said.

"In between the tours, the concerts, the albums and the relentless work of the show business circuit, Sir Howard is remembered for his devotion to the people," Tariana Turia said.

"His initiative in the organisation of Tu Tangata was as legendary as his singing. Sir Howard was able to utilise his distinctive status to support rangatahi Maori in being able to have dreams and to believe the world was theirs"

"That was perhaps his greatest gift to Aotearoa - that he instilled a fierce sense of pride in us all".

Labour Leader Phil Goff also paid tribute to Sir Howard, describing him as " a great New Zealander and a legend of entertainment for generations of Kiwis".

"He has been a huge part of New Zealand life for such a long time and will be missed by us all," he said.

"I would like to extend my sympathies to Sir Howard's whanau for their loss."

"Kua hinga he tötara I te wao nui a Tane."

Actor Temuera Morrison praised his uncle Sir Howard Morrison, as a giant of the entertainment world.

Temuera Morrison was at Sir Howard's home at Ohinemutu on the shores of Lake Rotorua this morning comforting his family.

``He was a big totara tree in the world of entertainment,' Temuera Morrison told NZPA.

``Despite all his successes he was very close to his family.

Rotorua-based Labour MP Steve Chadwick said Sir Howard lived a rich and full life that he shared with the Rotorua community and all of New Zealand.

"Sir Howard loved the song I Did It My Way and he certainly lived up to the words he sung so beautifully," Ms Chadwick said.

"To politicians he was someone who was determined to hold us to account and to keep us honest, but he was always welcoming to us no matter what side of the political divide we were on."

A friend of Sir Howard's said the sound of the deep-throated tui had ended.

Dr Tamati Reedy worked with Sir Howard when he was Secretary of the Department of Maori Affairs in the 1980s.

"Sir Howard, sleep deeply in the slumber of the myriads who've gone before. The sounds of the deep-throated-tui will no longer be heard from the great forest of Tane," Dr Reedy said.

He said Sir Howard made an enormous contribution to the development of Maori youth programs and was an inspirational leader in the department.

"I remember Howard firstly as youngsters in the Aotearoa Maori Concert Party of 1956. We travelled in Australia. Howard was the star then, and of course of his famous Howard Morrison Quartet," Dr Reed said.

He said Sir Howard made an "outstanding contribution" to Te Arawa, Maoridom, and Aotearoa/New Zealand.

One of Sir Howard's enduring legacies was his encouragement of family into the entertainment business.

He sang at the launch of young relative and now rising international soprano Elizabeth Marvelly's self-titled debut album two years ago.

Marvelly's father, Rotorua hotelier Brett Marvelly, said he rang her in Germany this morning to tell her of the news of Sir Howard's death.

"She is, of course, very sad. She had a very strong emotional connection to him, she respected him so much for all the right reasons ... He taught her so much."

In recent years Elizabeth Marvelly had toured extensively with Sir Howard and Dame Malvina Major and was among those who performed at a televised concert staged in Rotorua in his honour last year.

Speaking personally, Mr Marvelly said Sir Howard was a person he admired not just for his contribution to entertainment but for the huge amount he had done for Rotorua.

"He was a genuine icon of this city for so many years. I don't think Rotorua will ever see a funeral as large as Sir Howard's will be, and rightly so," Mr Marvelly said.

Country and western entertainer Gray Bartlett today told Newstalk ZB New Zealand has lost a huge kauri tree with the death of Sir Howard Morrison.

Bartlett worked with Sir Howard from 1964 onwards and toured with him for a few months in Australia.

He said his friend was a supreme optimist, a true professional and New Zealand's greatest entertainer who understood more than anyone how to connect with audiences.

He said Sir Howard's popularity extended as far as Asia and Hawaii.

Bartlett said the death was quite a shock because only a few months ago, when he visited Sir Howard in hospital after a leg operation

- NZPA and NZHERALD STAFF