Michael Nesmith, singer and guitarist of The Monkees, died Friday from natural causes. He was 78.
“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” the family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.”
In 1965, Nesmith was cast in the television sitcom “The Monkees,” which ran for two seasons on NBC.
They had such chart hits as “I’m a Believer,” “‘Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Daydream Believer.”
Nesmith wrote several songs for the band, including “The Girl I Knew Somewhere,” “Mary, Mary” and “Listen to the Band.”
Following The Monkees, he formed the First National Band and recorded three country rock albums.
Before he gained fame with The Monkees, Nesmith wrote “Different Drum,” which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt.
He recently toured with fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz. Their other Monkees band mates, Davy Jones and Peter Tork, died in 2012 and 2019 respectively
Ray Kelly, Masslive.com