Michael Nesmith, the lead singer of The Monkees who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. He died later that day at 78 years old from skin cancer after a long battle with prostate cancer
Michael Nesmith, a member of the Monkees died at 78. He was born in Ohio on July 31st, 1942 and had been diagnosed with cancer just two years ago.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — Michael Nesmith, the 78-year-old singer-songwriter, composer, actor-director, and entrepreneur best known for his role as the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the made-for-TV rock band The Monkees, has died.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – CIRCA 1967: Mike Nesmith on the set of The Monkees in Los Angeles, California, circa 1967. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives)
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Nesmith, who underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2018, died of natural causes at home on Friday, according to his family.
When “The Monkees” made their television debut in September 1966, Nesmith and fellow band members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and David Jones were struggling singer-songwriters.
After the band disbanded in 1970, Nesmith went on to have a long and fruitful career as a writer, producer, and director of films, as well as an author of numerous books, the CEO of a media arts firm, and the designer of a music video format that led to the development of MTV.
Nesmith was organizing “hoot nights” at The Troubadour, a prominent West Hollywood nightclub, when he read an ad in a trade newspaper looking for “four lunatic lads” to play rock musicians in a Beatles-style band.
The sitcom followed the antics of a foursome that drove about Los Angeles in a custom-built Pontiac GTO known as the MonkeeMobile and chased music fame when they weren’t pursuing females.
During the show’s two-year run, two or three new Monkees songs were introduced in each episode, with six of them becoming Top 10 Billboard successes. “I’m a Believer,” “Daydream Believer,” and “Last Train to Clarksville” were the top three songs.
Jones was the group’s charming main vocalist, with his British accent and boyish good features. Although he had to learn to play the drums as the program progressed, Dolenz became the crazy drummer. The delightfully ignorant bass player was played by Tork, a folk-rock artist. With his twangy Texas accent and the wool hat he wore to his audition, Nesmith took on the role of earnest yet naïve lead guitarist.
He’d come to the audition with a guitar and a bag of dirty clothes, which he said he meant to wash right afterward. He rushed into a casting office, slamming the door hard with a harp around his neck. He sat down and quickly placed his feet up on a desk after stopping to glance at a picture as if it were a mirror.
He was hired.
Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork star in a scene from the US television series The Monkees, which stars Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork.
When the creators informed him his character’s name would be “Wool Hat,” he revolted almost immediately. He insisted on his true name being used, as it was for the other performers.
It was the first of several clashes between Nesmith and producers throughout the show’s rocky two-year run, during which “The Monkees” won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 1967.
The program’s unwillingness to allow Nesmith and Tork, the group’s two most proficient musicians, to play their own instruments during recording sessions enraged them. When Nesmith gave this information to reporters, music reviewers immediately mocked “The Monkees,” dismissing the program as a hoax and the band as the “Prefab Four,” a play on the Beatles’ moniker “Fab Four.”
Meanwhile, Nesmith had composed numerous songs that he planned to present on the program, but music director Don Kirshner discarded virtually all of them as being too country.
Linda Ronstadt recorded “Different Drum” in 1967 for her first hit song, confirming Nesmith’s belief that Kirshner, dubbed “The Man With The Golden Ear” by the pop music business, didn’t know what he was talking about.
When all four Monkees claimed control of the music, everything came to a head. They were told that if they didn’t follow the rules, they’d be sued for breach of contract.
Nesmith stood up and punched his fist through a wall, informing Kirshner that it might have been his face.
Even while the other three enthusiastically described the event to media, Nesmith would refuse to confirm or deny it for years. He did confess it in his 2017 book, “Infinite Tuesday,” in which he said he lost his cool when his integrity was called into doubt.
He writes, “It was a ridiculous moment in so many ways.”
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However, starting with the group’s third album, “Headquarters,” it gave the Monkees ownership over their songs.
After the program ended in 1968, the band went on a long concert tour, performing many of their own songs and playing their own instruments in front of enthusiastic audiences. Their opening act was often Jimi Hendrix.
Following the band’s disbandment, Nesmith was seldom seen with the other members on reunion tours, leading many to assume he despised the band and the performance, which he vehemently denied.
“I had a great time being a part of the program.” In 2019, he told Australian Musician magazine, “I really loved working with Davy, Micky, and Peter.”
He would often claim that he was just too preoccupied with other things.
He released over a dozen albums and traveled with the First National Band, a country-rock-folk band he put together.
He penned a number of songs for the Monkees, including “Some of Shelly’s Blues,” “Papa Gene’s Blues,” “You Just May Be the One,” and “The Girl That I Knew Somewhere.” “Joanne,” “Propinquity (I’ve Just Begun to Care),” and “Different Drum” were among the others played by the First National Band.
He persuaded the other Monkees to reconvene for the Monkees’ 30th anniversary to make a new album, “Justus,” for which all four penned songs and performed instruments. He later reunited with the others for a short tour and wrote and produced “Hey, Hey, It’s the Monkees,” a 1997 television reunion film.
Nesmith also has executive producer credits on “Repo Man,” “Tape Heads,” and other films, as well as writing and producing the 1982 science-fiction feature “Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann.”
His Grammy-winning comedy-music video “Elephant Parts” from 1981 spawned “PopClips,” a series of music videos that aired on the Nickelodeon cable network and eventually led to the formation of MTV.
Nesmith also wrote two well-received novels, “The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora” in 1998 and “The America Gene” in 2009.
In a long legal fight with the Public Broadcasting System over royalties from a home-video arrangement his media business, Pacific Arts, had negotiated with PBS in 1999, he succeeded. He was awarded $48 million by a federal jury, which found that the prominent provider of children’s programming and documentaries had misled him.
“It’s like finding your granny taking your stereo,” Nesmith joked later, demonstrating that he hadn’t lost his Monkees sense of humour. You’re relieved to get your stereo back, but you’re disappointed to discover Grandma is a thief.”
Both parties reached an undisclosed settlement, and Nesmith went on to start Videoranch.
Jones reformed the Monkees more regularly after his death in 2012, and their shows are now receiving rave reviews from reviewers. He ascribed this to the fact that the majority of the group’s early detractors had died or retired.
Following the death of Peter Tork in 2019, Nesmith and Dolenz became known as The Monkees Mike & Micky.
I’m devastated. I’ve lost a close buddy and collaborator. I’m so glad that we’ve been able to spend the past several months doing what we love — singing, joking, and doing schtick – together. I’m going to miss it all so much. The schtick, in particular. Nez, may you rest in peace. My heartfelt greetings, pic.twitter.com/xe8i5jmNgL Micky
December 10, 2021 — Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1)
Robert Michael Nesmith, the only child of Warren and Bette Nesmith, was born on December 30, 1942, in Houston, Texas.
His parents separated when he was four years old, and his mother regularly worked two jobs to support her kid and herself, as a secretary and a painter. It was the latter task that prompted her to make Liquid Paper, a typewriter correction fluid, in her kitchen blender. It had garnered her a fortune by the mid-1970s, which she ultimately gave to her son and nonprofit charities she established to support women in business and the arts.
Christian, Jason, Jessica, and Jonathan are the offspring of her son, who was married and divorced three times.
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Michael Nesmith, the singer and songwriter of The Monkees died at 78. He was married to Linda Rondstadt, a folk-rock singer who had been his girlfriend since high school. Reference: who is michael nesmith married to.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did mike Nesmith die?
A: Mike Nesmith, who was an American musician and actor, died from a heart attack on February 7th, 2019. He was 84 years old.
When did Mike Nesmith die?
A: Mike Nesmith, who is the co-founder of The Monkees and has done many acting jobs like voicing animated characters in several Disney movies died on January 27th 2019.
How old is Michael Nesmith from The Monkees?
A: Michael Nesmith is 75 years old. He was born on April 3rd, 1942 in Houston, Texas.
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