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Davy Jones, lead singer of 1960s made-for-TV band The Monkees whose hits included "I'm a Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville," died on Wednesday, the local coroner said. He was 66.
The British-born singer, whose TV antics with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork drew fans but also unflattering comparisons with the Beatles, died of a heart attack in Florida, the TMZ celebrity website said.
"The ... medical examiners office has been notified of the death of Mr. Davy Jones," said the local authority in Martin County, southern Florida, where Jones reportedly lived.
The singer died at Martin Hospital South in Stuart, Florida, a spokesman for the hospital, Scott Samples, told AFP, giving no further details.
The four-piece band initially gained fame through their TV show about a band called The Monkees, created by legendary US music producer Don Kirshner.
His good looks and British charm -- he was born in Manchester, England -- went down well with US audiences, along with the three American group members: guitarist Nesmith, bassist Tork and drummer-singer Dolenz.
Their knockabout antics on the show -- with the toe-tapping theme tune "Hey Hey We're the Monkees" -- drew criticism that they were a rip-off of the Beatles, who had taken America by storm a few years earlier.
The TV show only aired for three years in the US in the 1960s, but it was re-run elsewhere over the years and is remembered by a generation of fans, if not by current younger audiences.
Other hits included "Daydream Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
The band released nine albums between 1966 and 1970, after which they disbanded -- but have reformed in various combinations over the years, according to Billboard.
Neither the singer's agent nor a spokesman for bandmate Dolenz responded to AFP requests for confirmation or reaction to his death.
Fresh-faced Jones was also said to be the reason that David Bowie -- real name David Robert Jones -- changed his name in the mid-1960s, to avoid confusion with the Monkees' frontman.
The US band's producer Kirshner, once described as "The Man with the Golden Ear" for his ability to detect and promote a hit record, died in January last year.
As well as launching the TV band, Kirshner also nurtured stars including Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Neil Sedaka and song-writing husband and wife Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Jones was scheduled to perform with music contemporary David Cassidy, formerly of the Partridge Family, at the Magic City Casino in Miami on April 14th, CBS reported.
Jones is survived by his wife Jessica and four daughters from previous marriages, TMZ said.
http://news.yahoo.com/monkees-frontman-davy-jones-dead-66-report-183523775.html
The British-born singer, whose TV antics with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork drew fans but also unflattering comparisons with the Beatles, died of a heart attack in Florida, the TMZ celebrity website said.
"The ... medical examiners office has been notified of the death of Mr. Davy Jones," said the local authority in Martin County, southern Florida, where Jones reportedly lived.
The singer died at Martin Hospital South in Stuart, Florida, a spokesman for the hospital, Scott Samples, told AFP, giving no further details.
The four-piece band initially gained fame through their TV show about a band called The Monkees, created by legendary US music producer Don Kirshner.
His good looks and British charm -- he was born in Manchester, England -- went down well with US audiences, along with the three American group members: guitarist Nesmith, bassist Tork and drummer-singer Dolenz.
Their knockabout antics on the show -- with the toe-tapping theme tune "Hey Hey We're the Monkees" -- drew criticism that they were a rip-off of the Beatles, who had taken America by storm a few years earlier.
The TV show only aired for three years in the US in the 1960s, but it was re-run elsewhere over the years and is remembered by a generation of fans, if not by current younger audiences.
Other hits included "Daydream Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
The band released nine albums between 1966 and 1970, after which they disbanded -- but have reformed in various combinations over the years, according to Billboard.
Neither the singer's agent nor a spokesman for bandmate Dolenz responded to AFP requests for confirmation or reaction to his death.
Fresh-faced Jones was also said to be the reason that David Bowie -- real name David Robert Jones -- changed his name in the mid-1960s, to avoid confusion with the Monkees' frontman.
The US band's producer Kirshner, once described as "The Man with the Golden Ear" for his ability to detect and promote a hit record, died in January last year.
As well as launching the TV band, Kirshner also nurtured stars including Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Neil Sedaka and song-writing husband and wife Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
Jones was scheduled to perform with music contemporary David Cassidy, formerly of the Partridge Family, at the Magic City Casino in Miami on April 14th, CBS reported.
Jones is survived by his wife Jessica and four daughters from previous marriages, TMZ said.
http://news.yahoo.com/monkees-frontman-davy-jones-dead-66-report-183523775.html
I run a Monkees fansite and was close to Davy having got to see him a few times in concert. I'm in shock right now I really am.
