Joanne Ingham, who hit the headlines after stowing away on a container ship with her twin Sarah in 1997, was found dead in a Wellington motel on Tuesday.
Joanne and Sarah were 18 when they stowed away on a Malaysian container ship which departed from Tauranga in 1997.
The pair say they jumped off the ship with sailor Ja'afar bin Mohamed Zan, whom Sarah had fallen in love with, after being discovered by the captain.
They swam 19 kilometres to reach the shore in Queensland and were discovered 19 days later.
In a statement, police said they were called to the Harbour City Motor Inn, in Te Aro, around 2.40am on Tuesday morning following reports of a sudden death.
"Initial inquiries have been carried out and the death is currently being treated as unexplained.
"Police can confirm the woman was Joanne Elizabeth Ingham, 43, of Wellington.
"A scene examination will occur this morning and inquiries are ongoing," police said.
Sarah and sailor Ja'afar ended up getting married. Joanne was also wed to Ja'afar's best friend during a shared 1999 wedding.
The pair hit the headlines after they stowed away on a container ship. (Source: 1News)
The twins were famously interviewed on the Holmes show in 1997.
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