Died On This Date (February 29, 2012) Davy Jones / The Monkees
Davy Jones
December 30, 1945 – February 29, 2012
Davy Jones was and English actor and singer who is best remembered as the lead vocalist for the Monkees, a widely popular pop-rock group that was originally fabricated to star as a band on an American television series. The weekly comedy followed the hi-jinks of the fictional rock band as they tried to build a music career in Los Angeles. The show, which premiered in 1966, starred Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith as the group which was loosely based on the Beatles. The show launched actual music careers for the musicians, even though in the beginning, they contributed very little musically. Many of the program’s songs, which were showcased like music videos every week, became hits and future staples of oldies radio. They included “Daydream Believer,” “Last Train To Clarksville,” and “I Want To Be Free.” The show won two Emmys in 1967 and continued to be popular in reruns ever since. In later years, Jones recorded and toured the world with the reunited Monkees. As an actor, Jones also appeared in numerous stage productions as well as on such TV shows as The Brady Bunch, Love American Style, and My Two Dads. Davy Jones was 66 when he suffered a fatal heart attack on February 29, 2012. The Monkees co-creator, Bert Schneider passed away in December of 2011.