Monkees' Micky Dolenz Breaks His Silence Following Michael Nesmith's Death

By Daniel S. Levine

Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of the Monkees, called Michael Nesmith his "dear friend and partner" on Friday, hours after Nesmith's death. Nesmith died from heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California. Dolenz and Nesmith had only just wrapped their final tour together less than a month before his death. Nesmith was 78.

"I'm heartbroken," Dolenz, 76, wrote on Facebook and Twitter, adding a photo taken during their last show together. "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."

Nesmith had been in failing health since 2018 when he had to cancel tour dates with Dolenz due to a health scare. He was also hospitalized that year after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery. Despite his poor health, he and Dolenz did one final tour this year, with their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles just over three weeks before his death. Monkees manager Andrew Sandoval said Nesmith was hospitalized early last week but was allowed to go home per his wishes.

"He passed away at home with his family, in peace," Sandoval told Variety. "He was raised as a Christian Scientist, and he only sought medical help when it was absolutely necessary or when it was something that he felt still worked with his philosophy."

The final tour was Nesmith's idea, as he wanted to "wrap up things with the Monkees," Sandoval explained. During the first performances, Nesmith needed to sit on a stool to perform, but as the tour went on, he seemed to gain strength. Two or three weeks into the tour, he was standing up for an entire show. Although Nesmith seemed to be the one member of the band who wasn't interested in the group's legacy, he began embracing the band's importance to millions of fans towards the end of his life.

"He was really comfortable in the end," Sandoval said of Nesmith. "He told me in his living room just a few months ago, before the tour, he said, 'You know, I finally really have come to accept the Monkees' music. I really like it now.' And it was an amazing moment."

Nesmith, who was born in Houston on Dec. 30, 1942, was a member of The Monkees from the start, alongside Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork. Jones died in February 2012 at 66 and Tork died in February 2019 at 77. Outside of the Monkees, Nesmith was a successful songwriter and founder of the innovative country-rock group the First National Band. He later played an integral part in the formation of MTV and recorded dozens of solo albums in his life. Nesmith is survived by his three sons and a daughter.

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