By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Davy Jones, the lead singer of the 1960s
group The Monkees, died of a massive heart attack Wednesday in Florida,
his spokeswoman said. He was 66.
His publicist, Helen Kensick, confirmed that he died in Indiantown, where he lived.
Jones
rose to fame in 1965 when he joined The Monkees, a British popular rock
group formed for a U.S. television show. Jones sang lead vocals on
songs like "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer."
Jones was
born Dec. 30, 1945, in Manchester, England. His long hair and British
accent helped Jones achieve heartthrob status in the United States.
According to The Monkees website, Monkees.com,
he left the band in late 1970. In the summer of 1971, he recorded a
solo hit "Rainy Jane" and made a series of appearances on American
variety and television shows, including "Love American Style" and "The
Brady Bunch."
Jones played himself in a widely popular Brady Bunch
episode, which aired in late 1971. In the episode, Marcia Brady,
president of her school's Davy Jones fan club, promised she could get
him to sing at a school dance.
By the mid-1980s, Jones teamed up
with former Monkee Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and promoter David Fishof
for a reunion tour. Their popularity prompted MTV to re-air The Monkees
series, introducing the group to a new audience.
In 1987, Jones,
Tork and Micky Dolenz recorded a new album, "Pool It." Two years later,
the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In the late 1990s, the group filmed a special called "Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees."
He is survived by his wife, Jessica.
