The death has been announced of Mike Nesmith, guitarist and singer with The Monkees. He was 78.
In a statement, his family said: "With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes.
"We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us."
Born Robert Michael Nesmith, the Texan's career spanned over 50 years and included stardom with The Monkees, solo work, film production and novels.
He inherited a fortune in 1980 when his mother Bette Nesmith Graham, the inventor of the correction fluid Liquid Paper, passed away.
The Monkees - Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones - transcended the group's made-for-TV origins to become a revered band, with Nesmith at the forefront of their moves to gain artistic control. Among their hits were Last Train to Clarksville, I'm a Believer, Pleasant Valley Sunday and Daydream Believer.
In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Nesmith said of the band's determination to write and record their own material: "We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked – and/or wrote – than songs that were handed to us. It made for a better performance. It was more fun."
Jones passed away in 2012 and Tork died in 2019. Nesmith and Dolenz played the last dates on the band's farewell tour in the US in November.
Following The Monkees' split in the early 1970s, Nesmith devoted his energies to the innovative country rock act the First National Band, releasing acclaimed albums.
He continued to record as a solo artist and in 1981 was a Grammy winner for his music video and comedy sketch collection Elephant Parts, considered a catalyst for the creation of MTV.
Nesmith was also the executive producer of the cult sci-fi comedy film Repo Man, in which he had a cameo role. Among his other production credits were the music videos for Lionel Richie's All Night Long and Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel.
After making a number of appearances with his bandmates over the years, Nesmith rejoined The Monkees in 1995 ahead of their album Justus, returning on a permanent basis following Jones' death in 2012.
Paying tribute in a statement, friend and bandmate Dolenz said: "I'm heartbroken. I've lost a dear friend and partner.
"I'm so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best - singing, laughing, and doing shtick.
"I'll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick.
"Rest in peace, Nez."
