MONKEES songwriter Bobby Hart has died at home in Los Angeles at the age of 86.
Hart played an integral role in the beloved 1960s pop band as he helped to create hits such as "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone".
His death was announced today through his friend and co-author Glenn Ballantyne.
Hart's health had been slowly deteriorating since he broke his hip last year.
He is most well known for working alongside Tommy Boyce to create several songs for the Monkees.
The band were made up of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork.
Together, Hart and Boyce penned Last Train to Clarksville which turned out to be the Monkees first number one hit as well as (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone.
Born Robert Luke Harshman, Hart was also responsible for creating the theme song for their TV show which was titled The Monkees.
The series focused on the wild antics of four boys who make up the rock 'n' roll band the Monkees.
Monkees starman Dolenz even credited Hart with helping the group achieve their wildest dreams in the music industry.
He wrote in a foreword in Hart's memoir, Psychedelic Bubblegum, in 2015: "I always credit them not only with writing many of our biggest hits, but, as producers, being instrumental in creating the unique Monkee sound we all know and love."
After they stopped working with the band, both Hart and Boyce continued working together.
They released the albums Test Patterns and I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite.
The pair even found fame on the TV screen and appeared on sitcoms as I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched.
Both men also made history by writing the theme to the huge daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Boyce tragically passed away in 1994.
In 2014, the duo were recognised in a documentary called The Guys Who Wrote 'Em.
Hart, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, had been married twice – most recently to singer Mary Ann Hart.
He leaves behind two children.
Who were the Monkees?
Micky Dolenz, Peter, Tork and Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith made up the icon late 1960s rock band The Monkees.
The group was formed in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider specifically for the situation comedy series of the same name.
However, Nesmith fought for artistic control of the group, rebelling against record producer Don Kirshner.
Nesmith wanted The Monkees to be a real band, not just one made for a comedy series.
He succeeded, and in 1967, the band would release Headquarters and other albums they created mainly on their own.
The band would later break up by 1970.
They came back together again in 1986 to mark the 20th anniversary and continued to play their biggest hits together on and off for the next few decades.
Davy Jones died in 2012, Peter Tork died in 2019, and Michael Nesmith passed away in 2021 – leaving just Micky Dolenz alive today.
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