was reportedly the return of the cancer. In June he underwent open heart surgery and was placed into an induced coma to heal. In November 2012 a television blog posted a story claiming Holmes only had weeks to live due to congestive heart failure. Holmes rejected the rumor. Holmes broadcast his final interview in November 2012, with Kim Dotcom as the subject. Several weeks later, Holmes resigned from his radio work and on 8 December, announced his retirement. Following their interview, Holmes and Dotcom became friends and in Holmes' final days, he was visited by him. In the 2013 New Year Honours, Holmes was appointed as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting and the community.<ref>"New Year Honours 2013" (29 January 2013) 8 The New Zealand Gazette 293.</ref> His investiture was conducted on 16 January 2013 at his residence, earlier than originally scheduled due to his failing health. Just a week later, Holmes was admitted to hospital. He was held under observation for two nights and was then released back into the care of his family. Many of those who had previously clashed with Holmes released statements making peace with the broadcaster, but a notable refusal to comment came from Dennis Conner (the American skipper who walked out of the first Holmes episode). Holmes died on 1 February 2013 at his family home in Hawkes Bay. His public funeral was held on 8 February. Personal life Holmes' personal life was highly documented in the media in part due to his celebrity status measuring up to those he interviewed. He had brushed death numerous times in his life. The first occurred in 1973 when he suffered a major car accident in which he fractured his neck and developed a brain hemorrhage which cut vision to one of his eyes. He also survived several aircraft crashes, including a helicopter crash into the sea at Anaura Bay in June 1989, which killed fellow passenger cameraman Jo Von Dinklage. In 2004, he had two crash landings piloting his vintage Boeing Stearman biplane, on 14 January southeast of Tūrangi, and on 31 December at Bridge Pā Aerodrome near Hastings. Holmes also survived numerous health scares, including overcoming prostate cancer in 1999, and the heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In 1991, Holmes became a father when his partner, Hinemoa Elder, gave birth to a son, Reuben Holmes. Elder had a