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Founding Member Of The Monkees Peter Tork Dead At Age 77


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Peter Tork, co-founder of the The Monkees, died today (February 21) at the age of 77. Tork's sister, Anne Thorkelson, confirmed the news of her brother's death to The Washington Post.

According to a statement from his family, Tork "died peacefully this morning in a family home in Connecticut after a 10-year fight against adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer of the salivary glands."

Initially conceived as the American response to The Beatles, The Monkees were brought together by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider specifically for a television series, which aired from 1966 to 1968. However, the popularity of the band ultimately would grow much beyond the small screen; members gained control over music production, and hits like "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer" helped the band sell 50 million albums worldwide.

It was Tork's friend in college, Stephen Stills, who got Tork a gig with the Monkees. Stills had auditioned for the television series, but was rejected. Instead, the producers were looking for something with an "open and Nordic look", which led Stills to suggest the place to Tork.

A competent musician, Tork was the only member of the band who could play an instrument, the "third guitar chair", on his first two albums. He played keyboards, bass, banjo, harpsichord and other instruments in later recordings.

After the initial breakup of The Monkees in 1968, Tork pursued a solo career, collaborated with George Harrison on the soundtrack of the 1968 film "Wonderwall," and launched a production company, which ultimately failed and left Tork in the ruin. As a result, he and his wife were forced to move to David Crosby's basement .

Subsequently, Tork met with fellow Monkees Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz in 1985 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band. They continued to play together throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and they also recorded an album in 1996, which also featured the fourth Monkee Michael Nesmith . After the death of Jones in 2012, Tork, Dolenz and Nesmith embarked on a tour in tribute. In 2016, The Monkees released "Good Times," which featured contributions from Rivers Cuomo , Ben Gibbard , Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller .

In 2009, Tork was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer of the tongue, but was able to recover. He stopped touring altogether in 2016.

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