Pete Smith has died, aged 63.
Pete Smith has died
The 'Lord of the Rings' actor passed away after suffering from kidney disease and dementia in New Zealand on Saturday (29.01.22) and is survived by his wife Mona Papali’l and his six children, who described losing him as "bittersweet" because his health had been so poor.
His son Poumau Papali’i-Smith told Stuff magazine: “He was sick for a long time, so it’s kind of bittersweet.”
He explained the treatment ‘The Piano’ star had been on for years “took its toll on him” and his health declined recently after he contracted an infection.
He added: “For the last seven years he’d been on dialysis which took its toll on him over the years. Within the last two years he was also diagnosed with dementia.
“We started doing dialysis at home but over the last few weeks he suffered an infection which he fought for the last four weeks.
“He passed on Saturday. We are happy that he didn't have to suffer any longer.”
Pete made his on-screen debut in the Kiwi 1985 sci-fi film ‘The Quiet Earth’, for which he won a GOFTA, and went on to feature in many other movies, such as the ‘The Flight of the Albatross’, ‘What Becomes of the Broken Hearted’ and ‘The Boys.’
He also forayed into television with his credits including ‘Plainclothes’, ‘Shortland Street’, ‘Greenstone’ and ‘Mataku’.
In 2006, Pete won an Air New Zealand Screen Award for his Best Supporting Actor role in the drama series ‘The Market’.
In addition to the dramatic, he was a keen gardener and used his love of it and his Maori culture to create documentaries on the subject, such as ‘Maramataka’
Poumau recalled: “He was always out in the community filming documentaries with the local talent up here with his gardening show.
"He was but a man of the people, always putting other people before himself.”