A Taupō woman is said to have 'died of a broken heart' three days after her husband of 59 years passed away.
Denzil Lovell, 84, passed away from lung cancer on December 20 - three days after Hazel, 78, died.
"We'd like to think mum died of a broken heart.
"They just had a great understanding of one another, they were absolutely brilliant together," the couple's only child Sharon How told NZME.
The couple were farewelled in a joint funeral on Friday, and Ms How is planning to scatter their ashes in Tauranga - where both Denzil and Hazel both grew up.
Broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was first discovered in the 1990s. The syndrome is characterised by the heart's left ventricle losing function, and is typically caused by emotional or physical stress.
The Lovells' romance spanned for six decades, which all started when Denzil wolf-whistled at Hazel as she wandered past him, NZME reports.
They met again at a local dance and it was love at first sight as they married in 1959. Hazel was only 18 and needed her parents' permission.
Newshub.
