The Monkees Brought Mike Nesmith ‘a Lot of Joy at the End of His Life’
Though his work with The Monkees was something Mike Nesmith sometimes had complicated feelings about, he told his manager that their music and fans brought him “a lot of joy at the end of his life.”
Keep reading to learn why Nesmith once called himself the “difficult” Monkee. Plus, what he said about how the joy of being part of the group and their impact came back to him before he died.
Mike Nesmith once called himself the ‘difficult’ Monkee
In a 2013 interview with USA Today, Nesmith talked about reuniting with the remaining Monkees after labeling himself the “difficult” group member. Notably, he was sometimes hesitant to embrace his Monkee past and even hated the theme song from the television series.
“I don’t know whether I called myself that or was pointing out that others called me that, but my sense of The Monkees has stayed fairly consistent over the years,” Nesmith explained.
“The Monkees belong to the people and the fans and not to me,” he added, “and I don’t think they ever can be a part of me in that way.”
Despite feeling more disconnected than other members, Nesmith added that he was “forever grateful and happy for the association” and noted that he thought his time with the group was “positive and beneficial in [his] life.”
“In the context of my overall career,” he said, “The Monkees experience is a substantial and welcome part of the puzzle.”
The Monkees brought Mike Nesmith ‘a lot of joy at the end of his life’
Nesmith’s manager, Andrew Sandoval, told Variety that Nesmith saw The Monkees in a new light at the end of his life. First, he grew to “really like” the music they made. But he also “finally embraced” why the group meant so much to fans.
“He started to see it more through the eyes of his fans, of how they loved it,” Sandoval offered. “And that was bringing him a lot of joy at the end of his life. Their joy was coming back on him. He finally really felt that, and it lit him up, you know?”
Sandoval said Nesmith would give a variation of the same speech each night while on his last tour, addressing fans of The Monkees. He explained, “I kind of feel like he wanted to finally say that he got it — that he got why they liked it, whereas he didn’t always.”
“And I kind of feel like it was more for him in that sense, that he got the opportunity to tell them that he knew and he cared about them, and that he liked The Monkees and he liked Monkees fans,” he added. “And it was a really beautiful moment in the show.”
Mike Nesmith died of heart failure in 2021
Sandoval told Variety that Nesmith was in failing health for years before his death in December 2021. “He had serious heart issues and he had quadruple bypass surgery three years ago,” he shared.
Nesmith received news that his time could be limited while he was on tour with Micky Dolenz in 2018, Sandoval said. “He went home to California, and he thought about it for some time, and then got medical treatment that he was ready to do when he was ready to do it,” he shared.
He added, “I believe that he needed further help with his heart. Ultimately, he declined to go further with what may have been needed, if that (was even) possible. But I can’t say for sure what all of his decision-making was, to be honest with you.”
Nesmith joined Dolenz on the road again for a farewell tour, per his wishes. He performed his final show in the weeks before his death. He was the third Monkee to die, following Davy Jones and Peter Tork.
