Future has cancelled this week's NZ show

One of the hottest rappers of the year has cancelled his first New Zealand performance after suffering a personal tragedy.

Future was set to perform at Spark Arena on Thursday - if you are affected by this,  please see refund details below.

But Future - real name Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn - has cancelled the show and the rest of his Australian dates after the death of a close friend, engineer Seth Firkins.

The rapper had already kicked off his first Australian tour with shows in Perth and Melbourne but has returned home to attend Firkins' funeral.

Live Nation issued a statement that read: "We regret to advise that a very close friend of Future's has passed away, as a result he is rushing back to the USA to attend the funeral."

Future posted a tribute to Ferkins on Instagram expressing disbelief at his death.

Live Nation sent their support to Future, saying: "Live Nation wish to offer Future their condolences at this difficult time and we know his fans will too."

If you are affected by the show cancellation, Live Nation has offered refunds to fans:

"If you booked online or over the phone, the credit card you used to purchase your tickets will be refunded automatically. The refund process can take up to 5 days. Once processed, please allow 3-5 days for the funds to show on both your balance and statement.

If the credit card used to make this purchase has changed, your original card has expired or is no longer valid (prepaid Visa and MasterCard included), you’ll need to contact the Ticketmaster Customer Service Team at [email protected] requesting a refund with either your bank account details or an address to send a cheque to before close of business, Monday, October 9. Please remember to include your order number in your request. If your tickets were purchased from a Ticketmaster outlet, you’ll need to return to that outlet with the tickets and the credit card used to make the booking."

Our thoughts are with Future at this difficult time.