Monkees star dies aged 77
Bandmates lead tributes to bass guitarist Peter Tork
PETER Tork, bass guitarist for Sixties pop sensations The Monkees, died yesterday at the age of 77.
The star, who also sang and played keyboards, was diagnosed in 2009 with a rare cancer that affected his tongue.
However, details of what caused his death had not been released last night.
The Monkees were often referred to as the ‘prefab four’ because they were considered to be a manufactured version of The Beatles. However, in 1967 they were able
‘Amazing mentor and teacher’
to claim more success than the Fab Four and the Rolling Stones combined – selling 35million albums, around double that of their rivals put together.
Their hits included Daydream Believer, I’m a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville.
Monkees members Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith paid tribute to their colleague, with Dolenz tweeting: ‘ There are no words right now … heartbroken over the loss of my Monkee brother.’
Nesmith wrote on Facebook: ‘Just got the news that Peter died. I am heartbroken.’
A post on Tork’s official Facebook page yesterday praised him as ‘a friend, mentor, teacher, and amazing soul’. Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys, tweeted: ‘I’m sad to hear about Peter Tork passing. I thought The Monkees were great and Peter will be missed.’
The Monkees were formed after an advert was placed for ‘four insane boys aged 17 to 21’ to star in a new TV series about a fictitious pop four-piece.
Tork – considered the slightly goofy one – joined the group alongside Dolenz, Nesmith and English singer Davy Jones, who died in 2012.
At 24, Tork was the oldest member of the band when their show first aired in 1966. It ran for only two seasons but won an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy and triggered Monkeemania and an offshoot of merchandise, charttopping music and sell-out tours. The Washington DC-born star was said to have been ‘mortified’ when he joined and realised the group would not actually play their instruments.
The first manufactured ‘ boy band’ had songs written for them by the likes of Carole King, Neil Diamond and Neil Sedaka when
‘I was awful when I was drinking’
they first emerged on the music scene and used session musicians for their debut album.
After the release of their second LP, More of the Monkees, in 1967, the group fought for more songwriting and performance control. They would go on to have Jimi Hendrix as a tour support act, as Tork in particular sought to have a serious music career.
Following The Monkees, Tork worked in collaboration with several musicians including George Harrison, for whom he played banjo.
There followed an unsuccessful period with band Release, and a spell in prison for drug possession. He later took part in reunion tours with The Monkees.
In 2016, the band created a studio album, Good Times, in commemoration of their 50th anniversary. The star is survived by his fourth wife Pam Tork as well as children Ivan, Hallie and Erica. Davy Jones, the group’s lone Brit, died of a heart attack aged 66 as they prepared for a reunion tour.
In 2009, Tork remarked: ‘When I heard I had this cancer, I had a bloody good cry, and then it was a case of, “Right what do I do now?”. They performed the surgery and I couldn’t talk for about a day or two, but Pam came with me to hold my hand.’
In 2012, the singer admitted he was an alcoholic.
‘I’m an alcoholic, and that means once I pick up the first drink, something gets triggered and I have no resistance,’ he explained.
‘So the answer is to not drink at all. I’m 34 years clean and dry now. I was awful when I was drinking, snarling at people.’