The Monkees’ Peter Tork Dies at 77: Reports

This June 4, 1967 file photo shows Peter Tork, center, of The Monkees at the 19th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Tork, who rocketed to teen idol fame in 1965 playing the lovably clueless bass guitarist in the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, of complications related to cancer, according to his son Ivan Iannoli. He was 77. (AP Photo)

Peter Tork, a singer and guitarist with The Monkees, died at the age of 77, it was reported on Feb. 21.

“It is with beyond-heavy and broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our friend, mentor, teacher, and amazing soul, Peter Tork, has passed from this world,” Tork’s official Facebook account said on Feb. 21.

His sister, Anne Thorkelson, also confirmed the death to the Daily Mail.

Tork was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2009, although his cause of death was not revealed in reports.

In 2009, he wrote for the Washington Post about his cancer diagnosis. “As of this writing, I’m just beginning to feel the effects of the second course of radiation, a bit of soreness on the tongue, some unpleasant effects when swallowing. So far, not too bad,” he stated.

He also wrote: “I recovered very quickly after my surgery, and I’ve been hoping that my better-than-average constitution will keep the worst effects of radiation at bay. My voice and energy still seem to be in decent shape, so maybe I can pull these gigs off after all.”

Mickey Dolenz, his bandmate, told the Mail: “When it came to Daydream Believer, which was really Davy’s song, we told the audience, ‘We can’t sing this song anymore—it belongs to you now, and they sang it instead.”

They attempted reunion tours in 1997 and 2001, but it never panned out.

“There were moments of tension,” he stated. “But the Monkees never promised to stay together. People forget we started out as the cast of a TV show.”

Celebrities Lost So Far in 2019

Albert Finney

British actor Albert Finney died in February 2019 at the age of 82. (Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images)

James Ingram

Longtime R&B singer James Ingram died in late January. Quincy Jones, a collaborator of his, wrote: “With that soulful, whisky sounding voice, James Ingram was simply magical ... every beautiful note that James sang pierced your essence and comfortably made itself at home.”

Singer James Ingram has died at the age of 66 after a battle with brain cancer, according to reports on Jan. 29. (Getty Images)

Fatima Ali

“Top Chef” alum Fatima Ali died on Friday, January 25, after a battle with terminal cancer. She was 29.

Former “Top Chef” contestant Bruce Kalman paid tribute to her: “It’s with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Fatima Ali today, as she has lost her battle with cancer,” he wrote

“Top Chef” star Fatima Ali died at the age of 29 after battling a form of bone cancer, said her family. (Instagram / Selfie)

Carol Channing

Carol Channing in Concord, N.H. Channing, whose career spanned decades on Broadway and on television has died at age 97. Publicist B. Harlan Boll says Channing died of natural causes early in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2019. (Jim Cole/AP Photo, File)

Bob Einstein

Bob Einstein in Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, 2018. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Comedian and actor Bob Einstein died on Jan. 2 after a battle with cancer. He was 76.

Daryl Dragon

Daryl 'The Captain' Dragon beside his ex-wife, Toni Tennille, wearing his signature captain's hat. (Hillel Italie/AP)

Daryl Dragon, or “Captain” of pop group Captain and Tennille, died on Jan. 2 of renal failure.