Billy T's two hearts laid to rest at last

More than 12 years after his death, the two hearts of comedian and transplant patient Billy T. James have been buried with him in the Waikato.

James, one of the country's best-loved entertainers, died in August 1991, aged 42, nearly two years after a heart transplant.

His own heart and the donor organ were among six hearts from three deceased transplant patients that the Auckland District Health Board had lacked relatives' full consent to keep.

The board's chief medical officer, Dr David Sage, said last night that the patients' families had approved the removal of the hearts at the time of the autopsies.

James' family had asked doctors that no news media should contact them regarding the hearts.

Almost immediately after his death, a family feud broke out over the funeral arrangements.

One group took James' body from his Muriwai home to his tribal marae in Huntly and Ngaruawahia, against the wishes of his widow, Lyn.

James' two hearts were buried yesterday in a private ceremony at Taupiri Mountain, beside State Highway 1 north of Ngaruawahia.

For Maori, burying the whole body is spiritually important.

The hearts were part of a collection of about 700 body parts and tissue specimens held in the health board's hospitals and laboratories.

The board this year decided to contact relatives or the patients from whom specimens had been taken, to ask what they wanted done with the remains.

The body parts in the children's organs collection were returned to families, for burial or cremation, but the board retained many other items at the request of families.

Most of the tissue samples were from people still alive and, at their request, the board destroyed or returned the specimens.

Last year, then board chief executive Graeme Edmond said he regretted the distress that the failure to obtain full informed consent might have caused families.