King's College old boy was with his best mates at reunion dinner when he collapsed and died

Kings College old boy Bruce Takle was very proud of his family, including granddaughters Roseily, left, and Amelia. Photo/Takle family

He was one of their biggest supporters, so it was fitting that King's College old boy Bruce Takle spent his final moments surrounded by his former schoolmates.

Despite still recovering from heart surgery days earlier - and being due for more this week - the proud school old boy had insisted on attending the reunion to catch up with old friends.

Takle and friends had just finished dinner and were listening to speeches during the college's 60th anniversary reunion function for the class of 1957 at the school on Saturday night when he suffered a medical event and died.

His family say he would also be as proud as punch to be given the rare honour of being farewelled at the school next weekend, as King's College does not normally hold funerals.

Takle's son, Nelson, said he had been flooded with emails and phone calls from people that knew him.

"He touched a lot of people. He was a larger than life type of character. When he walked into a room you knew he was there.

"He was quite an eccentric individual as well. He was just high on life, he just got excited about everything."

Takle, 73, was a former prefect at the school. He then went on to serve his three months in the territorials and also notched up a bit of backpacking around the world, eventually visiting around 50 countries, his son said.

He was also mad on cricket and would drag his son along to all the games held at Eden Park.

"We basically grew up at Eden Park. We used to watch all the games. He was a very keen cricketer."

His father was looking forward to the reunion.

"He wasn't missing it for the world. He loved hanging out with the Kings. Pretty much all his close friends are all ex King's College boys ... he's still got his King's ties and everything in his wardrobe so he was very proud that he went there."

Bruce Takle would always talk about his family. Here he is pictured with daughter, Velisa. Photo/Takle family.

Roger Guthrie, one of Takle's closest friends, said he was always full of life but had changed since having a stroke about five years ago.

"After that life was never so good for him ... it took him up to two years to start to speak well again."

Guthrie said he suggested to Takle that he shouldn't go to Saturday night's dinner, however he didn't have a bar of that.

"To him, that was the 60th anniversary dinner of the boys at King's College in his age group so he was just so keen to go and he went and a lot of his friends have told me that they were all sitting with him and having a great time together and boom, gone."

He also had the nickname, 'nod nod wink wink' because he would always only tell half of the story.

"He'd think he shouldn't tell you the rest and nod his head and wink and that would be the end of the story and leave the rest to your imagination."

Guthrie said his friend was also proud of his father Jim's time spent during the World War II battle at Monte Cassino.

"He went there at least twice at various times of his life, feeling that link between him and his father."

He said Takle had a heart operation on the Thursday before his death to have a stent inserted, before he was due to go back and have a valve replaced.

"He was to go in Tuesday morning to have another heart operation but he didn't live long enough for that."

Guthrie last caught up with his mate on Wednesday.

"He was taking precautions because he knew that he'd had one heart operation and was going to have another big one on the Tuesday ... but I think he had foreboding so that's why he called us all together."

Takle's actor sister, Darien, was in Christchurch on Saturday preparing for a role in the play Uncle Venya at the Court Theatre when she was told her brother had died.

The next morning she was then told her father-in-law, New Plymouth music legend Harry Brown, 85, had died in his sleep.

She said her brother's death was very sad and a big shock.

"He was a very kind man ... his major thing was that he absolutely adored his family and children and grandchildren. They were just his absolute life.

"He was a bit of an unusual character but everyone knew him."