Dame Lynda Topp has shared an emotional farewell message following the death of her twin sister and fellow Topp Twin, Dame Jools Topp.
Dame Jools died from breast cancer on Saturday. She was 68.
The beloved duo entertained New Zealanders together for more than four decades, becoming icons of Kiwi comedy, music and activism.
The sisters revealed in 2022 they were both undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Dame Jools was first diagnosed in 2006.
Lynda Topp shares Dame Jools' final message for New Zealand - Watch on TVNZ+
Dame Lynda described her sister's passing as "a pretty sad day for me and the whole of New Zealand".
Wearing her sister’s greenstone pendant, Dame Lynda revealed Jools had left her an envelope with instructions to open it after her death.
"I thought it would be something really special for me, to tell me how much she loved and cherished me," she said.
"Although I didn’t really need an envelope to know that."
But inside was a "simple statement" from her twin sister – to thank the people of New Zealand.
"And so, New Zealand, I’d just like to thank you for being there for us for over 40 years.
"We couldn’t have done it without you. You made us who we are, you made us the Topp Twins."
Dame Lynda said her sister was surrounded by loved ones in her final moments.
"She had a good life. And she had a good death. We were all there for her," she said.
"Tonight, I ask every single one of you out there in New Zealand to hold your loved ones close.
"And for every person out there and family that are going through cancer, to be there for them, and love them, and hold them in your hearts."
A tearful Dame Lynda concluded with a final tribute to her sister.
"Tonight I sign off for Jools Topp – a Dame, a beautiful horse woman, my very special twin sister."
'A great human being'
Tributes had poured in from across New Zealand following the news of Dame Jools' passing.
The twins’ manager and longtime friend Arani Cuthbert said Dame Jools’ “spontaneity and wicked sense of humour” would be greatly missed.
"She’ll be remembered as a great New Zealander, but above all she was a great human being,” Cuthbert said.
“In many ways, she showed us how to live a good life. And she also showed us how to live a good death."
Cuthbert reiterated that Dame Jools' journey with cancer would not be described as a "fight" or a "battle".
"She lived fully with breast cancer. And she never let it define her," she said.
"She did a lot of things that we never thought were possible for someone with advanced cancer. She kept on living.
"It's the end of an era."
SHARE ME