‘The Monkees’ Star Michael Nesmith Has Died at the Age of 78
Michael Nesmith, a founding member of The Monkees and a successful songwriter in his own right, has died. The Texas native was 78 years old. According to published reports, the cause of death was heart failure.
Michael Nesmith: His early life
Born Robert Michael Nesmith in Houston, TX, the future Monkee and his mother, Bette, moved to Dallas when he was very young. His mother subsequently married Robert Graham, and she worked as a secretary for the Texas Bank and Trust.
But when he was 13, his mother invented a typewriter correction fluid that was called Liquid Paper. What started out as a clever idea quickly became a multinational corporation. “By 1967, the company had its own corporate headquarters and automated production plant, and sales were in excess of one million units per year,” reports a profile on Bette Nesmith Graham. “In 1975, Graham moved operations into a 35,000-sq. ft. international Liquid Paper headquarters building in Dallas. She sold the company to Gillette Corporation four years later, just six months before her death in 1980.”
When Bette Nesmith Graham sold Liquid Paper to Gillette, she got a paycheck for $48 million. Upon her death, Michael Nesmith — her sole heir — inherited a fortune. Nesmith subsequently invested that fortune into making hit movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads, as well as other business ventures that kept his money working for him.
His time with The Monkees
In 1965, Michael Nesmith joined The Monkees, the band that would be both his blessing and his curse. While joining the band brought him worldwide fame, Nesmith was never as comfortable with the limelight as his fellow bandmates.
“For me, David [Davy Jones] was The Monkees,” he said to Rolling Stone in 2012. “They were his band. We were his sidemen. He was the focal point of the romance, the lovely boy, innocent and approachable. Micky [Dolenz] was his Bob Hope. In those two – like Hope and Crosby – was the heartbeat of the show.”
In later years, however, Michael Nesmith was more welcoming of his legacy with The Monkees and even joined the band on a “final farewell” tour.
He died of heart failure
In a statement provided to People, Michael Nesmith’s family affirmed that he died of heart failure.
“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” read the statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.”
Micky Dolenz, the sole surviving member of The Monkees, was devastated at Michael Nesmith’s death. “I’m heartbroken,” he said in the same statement. “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. All my love, Mick”
