Phillipps, who was 61, formed The Chills in 1980 and was one of the earliest proponents of the Dunedin Sound.
Artist and musician Robert Scott, of The Bats and The Clean, said Phillipps was one of a kind.
"He had a singular vision, and was totally committed to his craft.
"The kind of ability to write as well as he did is inherent, and he just had it in spades.
"His focus and his ideas, and the way he shared his ideas, just shone through in his music. He left us with so many wonderful songwriting gems."
The Chills became popular around the world with hits such as Pink Frost, Doledrums, I Love My Leather Jacket, Heavenly Pop Hit and Male Monster from the Id.
Phillipps also played the organ on The Clean’s seminal single Tally Ho!
"Martin’s songs were part of the musical fabric around us; I was just really lucky to play with him and have him as a friend", Scott said.
He said Phillipps had "something of a second wind" in recent years.
The Chills’ most recent album, Scatterbrain, came out in 2021, while he was also working on several other projects.
"He was able to summon that energy and drive, and good on him for doing so", Scott said.
Phillipps had long battles with drug addiction and alcoholism and contracted hepatitis C in the 1990s. He was recently admitted to Dunedin Hospital with liver problems.
While Scott was aware of Phillipps’ health issues, he was "still pretty shocked" to hear about his death.
"I had only spoken to him recently about an upcoming project; I was looking forward to hearing from him.
"It’s a sad day."
The Verlaines frontman Dr Graeme Downes said he had known Phillipps since his days at Logan Park High School, where Phillipps formed the band The Same, "an embryonic version of The Chills".
It was Phillipps’ "audacity" as a songwriter which set him apart, Dr Downes said.
"His philosophy was not to admit to any limits, and do as you damn well please.
"It inspired my early songwriting - it was almost a feeling of one-upmanship."
Longtime friend Bruce Mahalsky said Phillipps had a "childlike wonder" about music and art.
"He had a very romantic perspective of the world; he was fascinated with popular culture and storytelling."
Mr Mahalsky said there were so many great Chills gigs and songs over the years, including their show at The Windsor Castle Hotel in Auckland in 1985.
"I think he and the band were at the height of their powers [back then].
"They were hugely popular, but they had a bit of a harder edge — you had skinheads pogo-ing to them."
Look Blue Go Purple's Francisca Griffin (also known as Kathy Bull) first met Phillips in 1982, when her-then partner Martyn Bull successfully auditioned to replace Alan Haig on drums for The Chills. Bull went on tour with The Chills and played on "Pink Frost".
"In 1983 after Martyn died, Martin after much considering (in which he so graciously included me) decided to change the name of his band to A Wrinkle in Time.
"That didn’t last - because it was always The Chills, wasn’t it?
"Martin, the forever boy in a man’s body had a singular vision of where he wanted his music to go and I think he did spectacularly well at it despite all the falters he had along the way. Now and forever, he'll be cheering on the music makers of Dunners".
Phillipps’ music also inspired Tuhura Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin to name asteroids after him and The Chills.
"I had a really good working relationship with Martin and, like everyone else, I feel very sad about his death", Dr Griffin said.
Crowded House frontman Neil Finn posted on social media that he was "very sad" to hear of Phillipps' death.
"He was a good friend, wonderful musician and one of NZ’s greatest songwriters. A true original, fascinated by and devoted to the magic and mystery of music."
Fellow musician Don McGlashan described Phillipps as "a beacon to all of us, a wonderful songwriter, and a dear, kind man".
"He was one of the first musicians who showed us that you could wear your heart on your sleeve and be an artist in this strange country."
International publications such as the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian have also published tributes to Phillipps.
The LA Times described The Chills’ music as " jangly yet propulsive guitar pop that set wistful melodies against arrangements drawing on punk and psychedelia".
The Guardian said Phillipps "led one of New Zealand’s shining musical exports".
Phillipps’ funeral will be held at 2pm on Friday, August 9, at Hope and Sons, Dunedin, followed by a private cremation. The funeral will also be livestreamed.
Key dates in Martin Phillipps’ musical life
1980: After the end of The Same, Phillipps forms The Chills with sister Rachel on keyboards, The Clean’s Peter Gutteridge on guitar, Jane Dodd (soon to join The Verlaines) on bass and Alan Haig on drums. The lineup will change many, many times in the next 20 years.
1981: After most of The Chills leave the band, Martin Phillipps plays gigs with The Clean, before reforming his own band.
1983: Martyn Bull dies. A song Phillipps writes about his absent friend, I Love My Leather Jacket, will become one of a revived The Chills biggest hits.
1987: Phillipps and The Chills relocate to London with debut album Brave Words as their calling card.
1988: The Chills tour North America.
1990: The band signs to major US label Warners via its Slash imprint. The resulting album, Submarine Bells, tops the New Zealand charts and the band embarks on a triumphant national tour.
1995: The band reforms and a new album, Sunburnt, is recorded in England and released as being by Martin Phillipps and The Chills. Sometime during this period, Phillipps believes he contracted hepatitis C, which will cause serious health problems for the rest of his life.
2000: After years of hibernation punctuated by occasional live shows, Phillipps releases Secret Box, a triple-CD box-set of The Chills ephemera.
2010: The Chills play in Australia for the first time in 14 years.
2013: Phillipps marks his 50th birthday by releasing a new single, Molten Gold.
2015: Silver Bullets, the first The Chills album in 19 years, is released. The band, for the first time in its history, has a stable lineup, which will perform with Phillipps for the rest of his life. They will release two more albums, Snow Bound (2018) and Scatterbrain (2021).
2023: Phillipps starts work on a new album, provisionally called Springboard: Early Unrecorded Songs.
2024: Martin Phillipps dies on July 28 aged 61.
— Additional reporting RNZ
