Michael Nesmith death: The Monkees singer-songwriter and guitarist dies aged 78

The Monkees’ guitarist and songwriter died at home from natural causes this morning (Friday 10 December).

Nesmith in New York, 1967 (AP)

Michael Nesmith, one of the original members of The Monkees, has died at the age of 78.

In a statement, his family said his death had been a peaceful one: “With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes.”

They added: “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.”

Nesmith was born in Houston, Texas on 30 December 1942 and served in the air force before moving to Los Angeles to try his hand at becoming a singer-songwriter.

In October 1965, he auditioned for and won a role in TV sitcom The Monkees, which told the story of four young men trying to make their names as America’s answer to The Beatles. The other members were Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones.

The show aired from 1966 to 1968 and found a cult following, while the band enjoyed real-life musical success as well. “I’m a Believer”, which was written by Neil Diamond, “Daydream Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville” all topped the charts.

Michael Nesmith performing onstage at the Stagecoach Music Festival in California in 2014. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach)

Nesmith, who was easily recognisable thanks to a signature green wool hat and his thick Texas drawl, also wrote songs for the group including “Mary, Mary”, “Circle Sky”, “Listen to the Band”, and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere”.

A talented songwriter, Nesmith also wrote “Different Drum”, which was made famous in 1967 by Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.

Although the band had initially been formed by committee for the television show, Nesmith was among the Monkees who felt they should have more creative control over their albums. In 1967, he led a rebellion against record producer Don Kirshner which led to the release of their third album Headquarters, the first to feature substantial songwriting and playing by the Monkees themselves, rather than by session musicians and professional songwriters.

After the Monkees split, Nesmith formed country rock group the First National Band. In recent years he had returned to performing with the Monkees. The band played the final show of their farewell tour at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles just last month on 14 November.