Monkees Bassist Peter Tork Dies at 77

Peter Tork of the made-for-TV pop group the Monkees died today, Feb. 21. He was 77.

His passing was announced on his official Facebook page. Although his cause of death was not revealed, in 2009, he was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer affecting his tongue.

Tork was a versatile multi-instrumentalist and mostly played bass and keyboard for the Monkees, in addition to singing lead on several tracks. The Monkees premiered on NBC in 1966. Consisting of Tork, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones, the group had a fondness for mischief, resulting in lots of high jinks.

Although The Monkees only ran for two seasons, the show won an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy and the group achieved commerical success that became known as Monkeemania.

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_{Article image: The Monkees (Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork) from a full page ad for their third album. (Colgems Records-Billboard [Available through Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons.)}