Yahoo Lifestyle 
Home and Away actor Mick Innes dies of lung disease at 67
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. He starred in theatre, film and TV including a recurring role on long-running Kiwi soap, Shortland Street, 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, from his struggles with alcoholism, rehab and multiple marriages.
During a performance in 2013, he reportedly suffered a heart attack on stage but was back doing what he loved with an updated show a few years later.
RELATED:
“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’ friend and colleague, Roberto Nascimento, worked as a producer on Zen Dog. He described Innes to stuff.co.nz as “a complicated, but a very interesting and loveable man”.
He said Innes has chosen to spend his final days at home, where he had 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 explained.
“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, Julian Innes, Mimi Toya Cole and Sarah-Jane Burchett, and grandchildren. His wife, Indigenous Australian actor Jedda Cole, passed before him.
Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.
Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
