Yahoo News 'Home And Away' actor Mick Innes dies of lung disease aged 67
By Gillian Wolski
New Zealand actor Mick Innes, who appeared on Home And Away, has died of lung disease at the age of 67.
Innes passed away at his family home in Christchurch on Saturday morning after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Stuff.co.nz reports.
The veteran actor’s career began in the 1980s when he relocated to Australia, and spanned three decades.
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He starred in theatre, film and TV shows, including a recurring role on long-running Kiwi soap Shortland Street, a part in comedy series Hounds and a stint on Home and Away in 1996 as Rod.
In his solo theatre show Zen Dog: Hazy Recollections From The Life Of Mick Innes, Innes recounted stories from his extraordinary life, including his struggles with alcoholism, rehab and his multiple marriages.
He reportedly suffered a heart attack on stage during a performance in 2013, but was back doing what he loved with an updated show a few years later.
“He just fell into acting; he never went to acting school, and he's seldom been out of work, even if he doesn't get the big part,” NZ Herald writer Michele Hewitson said of Innes in 2013.
Innes’s friend and colleague Roberto Nascimento, who worked as a producer on Zen Dog, described Innes to stuff.co.nz as “a complicated, but a very interesting and loveable man”.
Meanwhile, writer Andrew Todd described the death as a “major loss”.
Very sad to hear that Kiwi actor Mick Innes has passed away. International audiences will know him from HOUSEBOUND, but he was an iconic, anarchic presence in NZ for decades. A consummate performer and remarkable person, generous and thoughtful and game for anything. Major loss.
— Andrew Todd (@mistertodd) December 12, 2020
He said Innes had chosen to spend his final days at home, where he lived with his 88-year-old mother Dulcie, since the beginning of the year when his lung disease had worsened.
“The doctor could tell [Innes] was getting tired, his breathing was laborious, and he didn't want to end up in hospital,” Nascimento said.
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“When he passed, he was surrounded by family, he was in his mother's arms. She was there till the end, and she is a very resilient woman,” he added.
Nascimento has been working on a biography of the actor’s life, titled Butterfly, which is expected to be released in 2022.
Innes leaves behind three children and two grandsons. His wife, Indigenous Australian actor Jedda Cole, passed before him.
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