We Kiwis owe Dame Jools Topp a huge debt of gratitude for the joy she, along with her twin, Dame Lynda, gave us for more than four decades as the Topp Twins. But it was we who received a beautiful thank you. Lynda shared Jools’ final message with the country the day we learned that the Kiwi icon had died from the cancer she had been living with for 22 years.
A tearful Lynda revealed her twin had left her an envelope with instructions to read it after she passed away.
“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 need an envelope to know that.”
Instead, inside were a few simple words: “If you get a chance, Lynda, could you thank New Zealand for me?”
A farewell to a national treasure
Lynda continued, “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.”
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The country reacted to the loss of our national treasure with stories, memories and thanks of their own, with many posting tributes on social media. Those closest to Jools say she is leaving behind a “very, very bereaved group of close family and friends”.
One of those is Arani Cuthbert, the twins’ manager and close friend who confided in the Weekly.
Remembering Jools Topp’s lasting legacy
“It’s hard to just talk about Jools without saying ‘they’ because it’s been a plural pronoun forever; what applies to Jools applies to Lynda. But Jools was so present in the moment, always. She showed us how to live well and to follow your passions, and be true to who you are and stand up for what is right.”
Jools died at the age of 68 on May 23, with loved ones and pets by her side. Jools had, Arani says, “a beautiful death, she really did. It was on her terms. She didn’t have to go into a hospital situation, she died at home. And Lynda did just the most incredible job as a caregiver. She just tended to Jools so beautifully”.
At losing her twin, Arani shares that Lynda has proved “remarkably strong”.
A twin bond beyond words
“She’s been incredibly focused on caring for Jools and she’s done that impeccably. There’s a long grief process and this hasn’t happened overnight, so she’s had many, many moments and will continue to do so. She’s feeling unimaginable grief. “She’s lost her twin, her partner and, being one of the Topp Twins, the Topp Twins are now over. I don’t think that the twin bond is something that non-twins can fully understand. Sixty- eight is still so young. Aside from the cancer, Jools was incredibly healthy, which is probably why the body took a long time to shut down. She had a strong heart, she was really fit and she had a lot to live for.”
Jools Topp’s inspiring outlook on life
Arani’s words echo Jools’ own during an interview with the Weekly in 2023. Then, it had been nearly 20 years since her first breast cancer diagnosis. And she was, as ever, determined not to let the cruel disease slow her down.
“Every day above ground is a good day,” Jools said.
“There’s this life we’re living, and we’re supposed to live it, and try to do the best we can. I live the dream every day because I get out of bed, make sure the dogs are happy, the cats are fed, the fish have food in the pond, and the cows and horses are good. And I have a big smile on my face because I’m really fit for my age.”
A lasting impression that never faded
Arani, who met the twins when she was feeling burnt out and needed a break from a senior role at Greenpeace, says from the first time she saw them perform, she knew they were special.
“I could just see the power they had of connecting with an audience and bringing people with them.”
And what was it that made them so special?
“I’ve thought about this long and hard,” reflects Arani.
The values that made the Topp Twins iconic
“I know it really is love. They channel love. They have incredible love for each other, love for New Zealand and New Zealanders. They’re really honest – they could never tell a lie – and they were
just very real, said it how it was and stood up for the right thing. “We responded to that, even unconsciously in the early days, when being gay wasn’t really acceptable and it was clear they were,” says Arani.
“The twins’ audience was the most broad, diverse audienceof any artists I know.”
The sisters were born in Huntly on May 14, 1958 and had a “lovely childhood” on the family farm in the Waikato with mum Jean, dad Peter and older brother Bruce. They sang together from the age of five. After leaving school, they used their musical skills to earn a living busking, and playing gigs in Christchurch and Dunedin.
From protest songs to national fame
The Topps ended up in Auckland in the ’80s, where they became known for their stirring political protest songs. They sang loudly about the issues they cared about, including the Homosexual Law Reform Act, feminism, the nuclear-free movement, Bastion Point and the 1981 Springbok tour.
They not only had stunning voices, a wonderful way with words and an outstanding ability to yodel, but they were genuinely funny and engaging. Their hilarious banter and audience interaction won people over. The twins created characters that became household names when their show Do Not Adjust Your Twinset screened on television. Ken and Ken, the Bowling Ladies, and Camp Leader and Camp Mother lived with us for many years.
The Topp Twins’ award-winning legacy
The 2009 documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls won major awards here and at film festivals around the world. They received a slew of honours, including being inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and were made Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 and Dames in 2018. They penned a book, Untouchable Girls: The Topp Twins’ Story, in 2023.
On screen and off, the Topp Twins won the hearts of people wherever they went, cementing themselves as two of our most beloved Kiwis. And Arani says that there’s still more to come.
A tribute to the Topp Twins’ lifelong bond
“There is a beautiful documentary coming out next year about the twins’ bond and the deep love that they had,” she shares.
It will also track the tough times. Jools was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and underwent a mastectomy, and several months of chemotherapy. In March 2022, Jools and Lynda revealed they had both been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous year. In Jools’ case, her cancer had metastasised.
A bond that was never broken
Jools reflected to the Weekly in 2023, “There’s a golden thread between us. It’s a connection that’s never been broken.”
Jools was a skilled horsewoman and devoted much of her time to training and rehabilitating horses.
“She had a deep spiritual wisdom about her,” tells Arani.
“It expressed itself through her love of animals, of the land and her friends.”
When the time came for Jools to slip away, it was Lynda who found the strength soon afterwards to share with a saddened public in a television interview.
“She had a good life. And she had a good death. We were all there for her.”
Struggling to hold back tears, Lynda gave her own moving final farewell.
“Tonight I sign off for Jools Topp – a dame, a beautiful horsewoman, my very special twin sister.”
Family’s tribute
Jools’ family, including mum Jean (right), 95, shared heartfelt messages about her passing.
“Today we lost a true warrior woman,” they said.
“Jools was wise, courageous, generous, inspiring and funny. We will miss her forever.”
Her brother Bruce said Jools “shared with me all the joy and love, and special times that a brother needs. I will hold her in my heart forever”.
The Topp family thanks the wonderful palliative care team at West Auckland Hospice for their dedicated medical care and support. They request that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to hwa.org.nz/support-us/donate
