Suva, Fiji – Fiji statesman and former president Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has died at the age of 84 in Fiji.
Nailatikau served as President of Fiji from 2009 to 2015, as well as Speaker of Parliament, senior diplomat, and former military commander.
His passing also marks the loss of a significant figure shared by Tongan and Fijian royal lineages.
He was the son of Ratu Sir Edward Tuivanuavou Tugi Cakobau, whose parents were King George Tupou II of Tonga and Adi Litia Cakobau, a granddaughter of Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the first King of Fiji.
This lineage meant that King George Tupou II had two notable children whose lives shaped the histories of both Tonga and Fiji.
One was Queen Sālote Tupou III, born within wedlock, who went on to reign as Tonga’s monarch and became one of the most influential figures in the country’s modern history.
The other was Ratu Sir Edward Tuivanuavou Tugi Cakobau, born outside marriage, who rose to prominence as a leading Fijian chief and respected statesman, further cementing the close historical ties between the two Pacific nations.
As a consequence of this lineage, Ratu Sir Edward Tuivanuavou Tugi Cakobau was the half‑brother of Queen Sālote Tupou III.
Queen Sālote’s son, King Tupou IV, subsequently ascended the throne and later became the father of His Majesty King Tupou VI, the current monarch of the Kingdom of Tonga.
Tributes have begun flowing across Fiji and the wider Pacific, recognising Ratu Epeli’s lifelong service to public life, regional diplomacy, and Pacific leadership.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by his family in due course.
