Category:
Richest Celebrities › Singers
Net Worth:
$2.5 Million
Birthdate:
Dec 30, 1945 - Feb 29, 2012 (66 years old)
Birthplace:
Openshaw
Gender:
Male
Height:
5 ft 2 in (1.6002 m)
Profession:
Singer, Actor, Songwriter, Musician, Record producer, Businessperson
Nationality:
United Kingdom
Davy Jones was an English actor and singer who had a net worth of $2.5 million at the time of his death in 2012 at the age of 66. Davy Jones was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees. With fellow members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, he starred on the NBC television sitcom “The Monkees,” kicking off the band’s enormous success in the late 1960s. Among his other credits, Jones originated the role of the Artful Dodger in the original West End production of the musical “Oliver!,” and earned a Tony Award nomination for his work in the Broadway version.
David Jones was born on December 30, 1945 in Openshaw, Manchester, England to Doris and Harry. He had three sisters named Hazel, Lynda, and Beryl. When Jones was 14, his mother passed away from emphysema.
Following the death of his mother, Jones abandoned his acting aspirations and trained as a jockey under trainer Basil Foster. However, his time as a jockey didn’t last long. Encouraged by Foster, Jones took the role of the Artful Dodger in the original West End production of the musical “Oliver!,” which premiered in 1960. The show was a huge hit, and Jones reprised his role on Broadway in 1962. For that production, he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.
Jones made his television acting debut in 1961, playing Colin Lomax in an episode of the British soap opera “Coronation Street.” The following year, he appeared in a few episodes of the BBC police procedural series “Z-Cars.” In early 1964, Jones appeared with the cast of “Oliver!” on “The Ed Sullivan Show”; it happened to be the same episode that saw the Beatles make their first appearance on US television. After that, Jones landed guest roles on the television shows “Ben Casey” and “The Farmer’s Daughter,” and released his self-titled debut album.
Jones reached the height of his popularity in the latter half of the 1960s as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees. Consisting of him, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, the group was created for the NBC television sitcom of the same name, which premiered in 1966. The show was hugely popular, making the Monkees into one of the most commercially successful musical acts of the late 1960s. Among the group’s biggest hit songs were “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Daydream Believer.” The Monkees had four chart-topping albums between 1966 and 1967, and sold over 75 million records worldwide. The group also starred in the 1968 film “Head,” directed by Bob Rafelson. However, after the cancellation of the television show the same year and amid overall waning popularity, the band broke up in 1970. Starting in 1986, the Monkees would intermittently get back together for reunion tours and new studio albums.
After the disbanding of the Monkees, Jones signed with Bell Records and released his second solo album in 1971. The self-titled album included the single “Rainy Jane,” a cover of the Neil Sedaka song. A couple of years later, Jones lent his voice to the animated film “Treasure Island.” He subsequently voiced the Artful Dodger in the 1974 animated adaptation of “Oliver Twist.” Meanwhile, Jones struggled to find success with his solo music career. Later in the 1970s, he returned to the stage to perform alongside his former Monkees bandmate Micky Dolenz in the Harry Nilsson musical “The Point!”
Jones didn’t act much in the 1980s, although he made guest appearances on the television shows “New Love, American Style,” “Sledge Hammer!,” and “My Two Dads.” In the 1990s, he appeared in episodes of “ABC Afterschool Special,” “Trainer,” “Boy Meets World,” “Lush Life,” and “The Single Guy,” among other shows. Jones also appeared alongside fellow Monkees Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork in the 1995 film “The Brady Bunch Movie.”
In 2001, Jones released his first solo album in a decade, “Just Me.” He followed that in 2004 with “Just Me 2.” During the decade, Jones lent his voice to the animated television shows “Hey Arnold!” and “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and appeared as himself in an episode of the reality series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” He released his final solo album, “She,” in 2009, and had his final role on television voicing Nigel in a 2011 episode of the Disney animated series “Phineas and Ferb.”
Beyond his acting and music careers, Jones had an apparel store in New York City called Zilch and a street market in Los Angeles called The Street. Later in his career, he returned to his passion for horse racing by riding in amateur races. Jones won his first race in 1996 in the Ontario Amateur Riders Handicap at Lingfield in Surrey.
Jones was married a total of three times and had four children. He was married to his first wife, Dixie Haines, from 1967 until their divorce in 1975. They had two daughters named Talia and Sarah. Jones went on to marry Anita Pollinger in early 1981; they had two daughters named Jessica and Annabel before divorcing in 1996. He wed his third and final wife, Telemundo host Jessica Pacheco, in 2009. Jessica, who was roughly half Day’s age, filed for divorce in 2011, but later dropped the suit.
On February 29, 2012, Jones went to take care of his 14 horses at a farm in Indiantown, Florida. After riding one of them around, he complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing. Jones took an antacid and got in his car to go back home. A little later, a ranch hand found him unconscious, and called an ambulance. Taken to Martin Memorial South Hospital in Stuart, Florida, Jones died of a heart attack brought on by arteriosclerosis.
