Mick Fanning mourning death of another brother

Australian surfer Mick Fanning has fought back tears after winning his way through to the quarter-finals of the Pipeline Masters in the wake of another family tragedy.

Fanning, who is chasing a fourth world title, learnt of the death of his older brother, Peter, hours before competing today.

The cause of his sibling's death is still not known, but it has been reported that the 43-year-old died in his sleep.

"It's been a huge day... and I've just got some personal issues going on at home and it's sort of heavy to talk about right now," Fanning said after winning a fourth round heat which propelled him straight into the quarter-finals.

He said he was just trying to "cruise" before stopping himself short and fighting back tears.

Fanning lost his younger brother Sean in a car accident in 1998.

He has regularly spoken about Sean and the impact his death had on their family.

Fanning's fourth round triumph drew extraordinary praise as news of the tragedy spread.

Competing against Kelly Slater and John John Florence, Fanning produced a combined score of 17.30 that included a brilliant 9.30 ride.

It followed a third round heat victory that was rated by some as one of the finest performances of his career.

Fanning's mother Liz is also in Hawaii and was watching on as her son competed while grieving.

Surfing against local wildcard Jamie O’Brien in his third round, Fanning scored an 8.47 with his first ride.

It was the highest score of the heat as he progressed of the final stop on the World Surf League tour.

Fanning has endured a year from hell after earlier surviving a shark attack while competing in South Africa.

Fanning's brother, Peter, was reportedly the father of three children.