Davy Jones, born David Thomas Jones, in 1945, has died. Although he started acting as an eleven year old in his native England, he will be forever known as "the short, English one" as a member of the Monkees, winning that part in 1965. Jones, who made his home in Florida with his third wife, Jessica, had apparently complained of chest pains while spending some time with his horses. He would later be found, still in his car after suffering an apparent heart attack. That has now been confirmed by the medical examiner's office in Martin County, Florida.

Jones was just a teenager when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show as part of the cast of Oliver! the musical version of the Charles Dickens story, Oliver Twist. Fans know that the was the very same episode of the show that featured the Beatles as well. The Monkees were often unfavorably compared to the Beatles. What some of those critics may not have known or realized that while they were busy skewering and lambasting the Monkees for being a lukewarm version of the Beatles, the Beatles were praising them.

The show, which began in the mid Sixties was a hit with its audience, particularly young girls who found the diminutive Jones a wholesome, approachable heartthrob. It had been understood that Jones was the "lead" singer of the group, however, it was bandmate Mickey Dolenz who sang lead vocals on their first single, "Last Train to Clarksville" which would be a charting single in 1966. Jones did take the lead on the Neil Diamond penned hit, "I'm a Believer." which made it to the top of the charts as the best selling single in 1967.

Jones, who was not only an actor and singer but an accomplished dancer often drove many of the plots of the Monkees episodes, usually centered on him falling in love or some one falling in love with him or both. He continued to play the gentle heartthrob even after the Monkees ended, playing himself on an episode of the Brady Bunch, coming in to rescue Marcia Brady after she claimed she could get him to play at the school's dance.

Despite his ongoing success, Jones lived without much of the painful public humiliation and criminal behaviors of other musicians and actors. Davy Jones was and always will be just a very adorable, sweet and likeable guy, missed and mourned by many, all around the world.