Billy Te Kahika jnr in hospital after heart attack
Billy Te Kahika jnr, the musician, Covid-19 conspiracy theorist and failed political candidate, is recovering in Auckland City Hospital after suffering a heart attack.
A statement on Te Kahika’s Facebook page on Thursday afternoon said he was rushed to Auckland by helicopter.
Te Kahika’s wife, Corrin, confirmed to the Herald yesterday that he suffered a heart attack “a couple days ago” and is still in hospital.
Asked about his condition, she said “we’re not 100% sure at the moment” and declined to comment further.
Te Kahika, 54, later told the Herald via text that he was “very, very sick right now” and “in terrible pain”.
In an update on fellow conspiracy theorist and former bandmate Vinny Eastwood’s online talk show, Te Kahika said he was feeling “pretty bad” and “a bit sore”.
“They saved my life,” Te Kahika told Eastwood from his hospital bed.
“I actually had the heart attack two days ago but I tried to push through it … I just tried to sleep it off but I tell you what, the Lord looked after me because in my sleep I had this voice saying when you wake up you’ve got to go to hospital straightaway.”
The Northland-based lay preacher, also known as Billy TK, said he went to a district hospital and had an electrocardiogram (ECG) scan.
He said he was told by a doctor “your heart is not good”, before being flown to Auckland.
“I kind of thought of myself as a bit bulletproof for a long time and in the back of my mind I thought maybe something will catch up with me with the stress of the court cases.
“I’m in wicked pain but I feel very grateful to not have gone to sleep just yet.”
Son of accomplished blues musician Billy Te Kahika snr, he rose to national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic as an outspoken purveyor of fringe theories such as anti-vaccination and the dangers of 5G.
Te Kahika and Eastwood were jailed in March 2023 for illegally organising and attending a protest in front of TVNZ headquarters on the first day of the nationwide Covid Delta-variant lockdown.
He later tried to leverage the popularity he gained from the undercurrent of discontent on social media during the pandemic into a brief, unsuccessful political career as co-leader of the Advance NZ Party ahead of the October 2020 election.
His attempt at political influence failed when Advance NZ received about 1% of the nationwide party vote, while he also lost in his bid for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate.
His behaviour during the campaign caught the attention of the Electoral Commission and he was later found guilty of failing to declare candidate donations, failing to keep records of a donation and failing to keep records of expenses.