Monkees guitarist and music video pioneer Michael Nesmith has died of natural causes, his manager revealed Friday. He was 78 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that I mark the passing of Michael Nesmith,” reads a Tweet by manager Andrew Sandoval. “We shared many travels and projects together over the course of 30 years, which culminated in a Monkees farewell tour that wrapped up only a few weeks ago.” According to a statement released by Nesmith’s family, he “passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes.”
The members of the Monkees were brought together in 1965 to star in a television show modeled after the Beatles’ movies “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help.” They went on to score a number of hits and made several comebacks over the years. In 1977, he produced a video to promote his solo single “Rio,” giving him the idea for an entire network that played music videos. He pitched the idea and MTV premiered a few years later.
Have the Monkees actually become a respectable band over the years?