Last request for one big party

Andy Nathan wrote his own death notice and left instructions for those farewelling him to follow a fun dress code.

"I finally carked [sic] it after a lifetime of fun ... time to celebrate! Men; Hawaiian shirt ... Ladies; painted toe nails please ... Don't be late!"

Few people think so far ahead as to write their own death notice, let alone instruct guests to their funeral on what to wear - but that was typical of Andy Nathan who died last week, aged 43, following diabetes-related complications.

The prewritten death notice, published in the Weekend Herald, was one of several things his family found after his passing. It was in an envelope marked "Eeek! I've Karked It." with a sad smiley face at the end of the words.

"He's been unwell for the last five or six years with complications due to diabetes so he knew that he wasn't going to have a long life and he wanted to make it easy for everybody," his sister Vicki Hudson said.

Inside the envelope Mrs Hudson found a detailed list of everything from how to instruct his friends of his death on Facebook through to who should carry his coffin and what to wear to his funeral.

"He wants everybody to wear Hawaiian shirts. He's always been extremely colourful."

Mr Nathan's quirky instructions came as no surprise to his family who say he was always an interesting character with a "carefree spirit".

His sister recalled how as a child he was told to stay seated at the table until he put on his black school shoes - he was still sitting there at midday. At the age of 14 he ran away to the Coromandel because he was "bored in maths class".

Mr Nathan only ever had his blonde locks trimmed once a year and that was on his mother's birthday, as a gift to her. He appeared on Sale of the Century in Australia, wrote a book called The History of Now and appeared on television in a bid to get a world record for collecting postcards.

At 32 Mr Nathan, who had done "104" jobs in his life including a two-year stint on Radio Hauraki and had a love of music and trivia, was diagnosed with diabetes. In 2006 he walked the length of the country, generating publicity about diabetes, after his illness left him unable to drive.

However, Mrs Hudson said her brother "didn't help himself" with his diabetes management and had been in hospital about 19 times in the past five years.

While his friends knew he was sick, many didn't realise how bad it was and it was a heart attack which eventually took his life.

He will be remembered for his colourful character by friends and family who will farewell him tomorrow at the North Shore Memorial Park and then later at a local bar - as per his request.

He always had a smile on his face, said his sister adding: "He touched many people in a real, goodwill way."