Hawai'i's most treasured musicians are truly enduring gifts to us all. Their music is a legacy that lives on to also inspire and entertain future generations.

And so the community can take comfort as it grieves the loss of guitar virtuoso Raymond Kane so soon after the death of his cousin, singer Genoa Keawe.

Kane, who died Wednesday, packed a lot of achievement into his 82 years. Noted as a teacher of the Hawaiian slack-key (ki ho'alu) guitar, he believed in sharing his art, knowing how close it had come to extinction.

He was noted also as an expert angler. He traded on that skill as a child in Wai'anae after meeting Albert Kawelo, an elder more adept with guitar strings than fishing lines. In return for lessons, Kane pulled in meals of tasty kumu and menpachi.

He was among the first slack-key masters to give public concerts and tour overseas. Judging by the international popularity of ki ho'alu today, Kane's lifelong musical ambassadorship was a great success.

That success is also marked through his honors, which included being named a "folk arts treasure" by the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Foundation, and a lifetime achievement Na Hoku Hanohano Award for his recordings.

But for his loved ones, it's memories of his playful "kolohe" personality that are the most cherished keepsakes.