Former Monkee Davy Jones Dies At Age 66

Monkees Front Man Davy Jones Dead At 66

Feb. 29, 2012, 4:19 PM EST

WENN

The Monkees' front man, Davy Jones, has died at the age of 66. His death was confirmed to People by the medical examiner in Martin County, Fla. The news was first reported by TMZ.

The "Daydream Believer" singer passed away at Martin Memorial Hospital in Florida on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack, according to TMZ.

The Britain-born star began his career as a child actor on the long-running U.K. soap opera "Coronation Street" before finding fame in the 1960s as a member of the Monkees, a group formed to star in a TV series of the same name.

The band split in 1971, and Jones went on to established himself as a solo star. He also joined forces with fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz to form their own group, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart, with songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.

The Monkees reunited for a troubled tour in 2001. Another reunion, for their 45th anniversary trek last year, also ended abruptly when they canceled the second half of the tour without explanation.

Jones last hit the stage on Feb. 19 for a solo show in Oklahoma.

URL - http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=707905

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Former Monkee Davy Jones Dies At Age 66 In Florida

(Reuters) - Davy Jones, former lead singer of the 1960s made-for-television pop band The Monkees, died on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack in Florida, according to his longtime publicist. He was 66.

Jones' death was confirmed by Christine Weekes, administrative manager for the medical examiner's office in Fort Pierce, Florida, near the Martin Memorial Hospital South where the performer had been taken.

His publicist, Helen Kensick, said Jones died of a heart attack in Indiantown, Florida, but she had no further details.

Jones, born in Manchester, England, became the principal teen idol of the rock quartet featured on the NBC comedy series "The Monkees," which was inspired in part by the Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" and ran for two seasons from the fall of 1966 to August of 1968.

Although not allowed to play their own instruments on their early records, Jones and his three cohorts -- Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork -- had several hits that sold millions of copies, including "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer."

Jones got his start as a young actor, at the age of 11, on the British soap opera "Coronation Street" before landing a role as the Artful Dodger in a West End production of "Oliver!" He went on to originate that role for the Broadway production and earned a Tony nomination.

But Jones gained stardom after answering a casting call for a new TV series being created about the zany misadventures of four Beatles-like rock musicians called the Monkees. Two members of the group, Nesmith and Tork, were actual musicians with performing and recording experience, while Jones and Dolenz were primarily actors who more or less dabbled in music.

Although disparaged by critics as the "Pre-Fab Four" for the manufactured way in which the band came together, the group proved to be adept performers who were eventually given control over their own recordings.

The TV series, introduced by its catchy theme, "Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees," debuted as an immediate ratings hit weeks after the group's first single, "Last Train to Clarksville," had topped the pop charts.

The group collaborated early on with some of the major songwriters and session musicians of the day, including Neil Diamond, Carole King, Glen Campbell and Hal Blaine.

The self-titled first LP topped the album charts that October, and the popularity of the group generated a wave of merchandising, including toys, games and lunchboxes. But their first and only feature film, "Head," was a box-office flop.

After their fifth album, the group began to splinter, releasing two more albums as a trio without Tork and one last LP as a duo following Nesmith's exit in 1969.

(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy and Christine Kearney; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Greg McCune)

URL - http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/29/us-davyjones-idUSTRE81S1T520120229