The Monkees' bass guitarist Peter Tork has died at the age of 77.
The Monkees were a made-for-TV musical group formed in 1965 to star in a TV show, in the wake of The Beatles' success and their films A Hard Day's Night and Help!
The show was hugely popular, and The Monkees became a pop phenomenon in the late 1960s, releasing many hit singles, such as I'm a Believer, Pleasant Valley Sunday and Daydream Believer, several albums, and their own film, Head.
The band released nine albums between 1966 and 1970, after which they disbanded, but they have come back together in various combinations over the years.
In 2016 they celebrated their fiftieth anniversary with the release of Good Times!, their first album in nearly 20 years, featuring tracks written by Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Rivers Cuomo and XTC’s Andy Partridge.
A post on Tork's official Facebook page said: "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.
"As we have mentioned in the past, the PTFB team is made up of Peter's friends, family and colleagues - we ask for your kindness and understanding in allowing us to grieve this huge loss privately.
"This page will remain open for your use in sharing your thoughts with your fellow fans and hopefully helping you through your own grieving journey, however the team will not be available for some time as we start to mend our own hearts and calm our minds.
"We want to thank each and every one of you for your love, dedication and support of our 'boss.' Having you in our world has meant so very much to all of us.
"Please know that Peter was extremely appreciative of you, his Torkees, and one of his deepest joys was to be out in front of you, playing his music, and seeing you enjoy what he had to share. We send blessings and thoughts of comfort to you all, with much gratitude ~ptfb team."
Tork is the second member of The Monkees to die. Lead singer Davy Jones passed away in 2012 at the age of 66.
Tributes have poured in from Tork's band mates, friends and fans.
There are no words right now...heart broken over the loss of my Monkee brother, Peter Tork. #petertork #themonkees @TorkTweet pic.twitter.com/C8SwoA8pEV
— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) February 21, 2019
Peter Tork (1942-2019): pic.twitter.com/RXxNtIODx7
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) February 21, 2019
Ahh.. RIP Peter Tork- my favourite monkee pic.twitter.com/JBDY5pZORb
— graham coxon (@grahamcoxon) February 21, 2019
Sadly, Peter Tork, bassist of The Monkees, has passed away at the age of 77, the victim of a rare form of cancer. pic.twitter.com/nYzowHFjGX
— Channing Thomson (@CHANNINGPOSTERS) February 21, 2019
Peter Tork of The Monkees, the made-for-TV pop group from the 1960s, died Thursday. He was 77. pic.twitter.com/C5J1FMnVTL
— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) February 21, 2019
Peter Tork was a tremendous musician. He had a natural ability that for me was the soul of @TheMonkees.Truly an Americana aficionado as well as a member of the beloved rock band. Their origins irrelevant. Their musical output fun & eternal. RIP pic.twitter.com/DC8PA1kGIm
— Michael Des Barres (@MDesbarres) February 21, 2019
"There were no duds among us - except me. But I wasn’t really a dud. I played one on television. " - Peter Tork (1942-2019) of @TheMonkees pic.twitter.com/EDKnClLzP4
— Anthony Mason (@AnthonyMasonCBS) February 21, 2019
R.I.P. Peter Tork https://t.co/7MupqRioKa
— Carole King (@Carole_King) February 21, 2019
I’m sad to hear about Peter Tork passing. I thought The Monkees were great and Peter will be missed. Love & mercy to Peter’s family, friends and fans. pic.twitter.com/NquzjTmtFx
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) February 21, 2019
RIP Peter Tork pic.twitter.com/yYIXdyBFF1
— Mister Schusterbauer (@sweetbabyshades) February 21, 2019
