Jools Topp, 1958 – 2026

Jools Topp, one of the New Zealand Topp Twins, died on May 23; she was 68. The twins—sister Lynda survives—described as a “folk singing and activist sister comedy duo,” started busking in their teens, interspersing their act with pleas against nuclear power, and for Māori and gay rights (both sisters were lesbians) and breast-cancer awareness (both sisters had that disease). They appeared on TV in their own specials, as well as on such shows as Rainbow Reports, Hessie’s Shed, Shortland Street, Goodnight Kiwi, The Barefoot Bandits, and Do Not Adjust Your Twinset; they also performed in concerts around New Zealand and Australia. Jools once said of their act, "We made ourselves look ridiculous ... we asked them to laugh at us, not to laugh at someone else's misfortune."

The Topp Twins as the Gingham Sisters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubCNAnBHcVE