"We wanted this to be a tribute to Fiji, and everybody to come together as one ʻohana to celebrate all of his accomplishments ...

Samoan singer Lapi Mariner, a fellow artist and longtime friend of George “Fiji” Veikoso, delivered a heartfelt tribute during the late music icon’s memorial service that left few dry eyes in the ...

He left Samoa at the age of 17, heading first for Fiji and then New Zealand. His parents, brothers and sister soon followed.

The December 2012 Cyclone Evan struck both Samoa and Fiji, and it became clear that Fiji was far better prepared to face the wrath of Evan than Samoa.