The RIP Thread

[Frothy Afterbirth]

Norm Macdonald, ‘SNL’ star, dead at 61
By Rob Bailey-Millado
September 14, 2021 2:43pm Updated


Getty Images

Norm Macdonald, the deadpan stand-up comic and beloved “Saturday Night Live” alum, died Tuesday after a private nine-year battle with cancer. He was 61.

The former “Weekend Update” anchor’s passing was confirmed to The Post by his manager Marc Gurvitz, of Brillstein Entertainment.

“Today is a sad day. All of us here at ‘SNL’ mourn the loss of Norm Macdonald, one of the most impactful comedic voices of his or any other generation,” NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” team told The Post in a statement. “There are so many things that we’ll miss about Norm — from his unflinching integrity to his generosity to his consistent ability to surprise. But most of all he was just plain funny. No one was funny like Norm.”

The Quebec City native’s close friend Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with Macdonald when he died, said he fought cancer hard — but was adamant about keeping his struggle from family, friends and fans.

That tracks: “When I hear a guy lost a battle to cancer, the term really bothers me,” he presciently said in 2011. “It implies that he failed and that somebody else, who defeated cancer, is heroic and courageous.”

Hoekstra, who was also Macdonald’s longtime producing partner, told Deadline in a statement: “He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”

When he published his best-selling “memoir” in 2015, Macdonald revealed what percentage of it was true in his signature sarcastic style: “Oh, zero,” he told The Post. “I wanted to write a novel, but they wouldn’t let me. But there are facts in the book that are true, [like] ‘a river is made of water.’ “

Macdonald, who never graduated from high school, also admitted “the scariest [part about writing my book “Based on a True Story”] is I have no education and so I really feel like to be a good writer, you need education.”

He revealed to The Post at the time, “I would really like to go to school. I never got the chance. I’ve never worked so hard. It was very hard for me to keep a whole book in my head. I could keep a sketch in my head or even a movie … but a book. It’s so hard to keep that whole thing at once in your head.”

Macdonald launched his show biz career in the comedy clubs of his native Canada, where he perfected his signature laconic delivery, and went on to compete on the early reality TV competition series “Star Search” hosted by Ed McMahon, in 1990.

He also was in the infamous writers room for fellow stand-up Roseanne Barr’s hit sitcom “Roseanne” during the 1992-93 season — before scoring his coveted onscreen gig in Lorne Michaels’ iconic NBC sketch comedy series.

Macdonald was known for his “SNL” impressions of Burt Reynolds, David Letterman, Larry King, Quentin Tarantino and many more during his five-year run on the show from 1993 to 1998.

Still, he was conflicted about his tenure with the treasured not-ready-for-primetime-players.

“I would love to stay at ‘SNL’ forever — but you can’t stay in the same place,” he told TV Guide in 1997. “People think you’re a loser.”

After he was let go from “SNL” — and replaced as “Weekend Update” anchor by Colin Quinn — in 1998, Macdonald starred in his own sitcom, “The Norm Show.” He played social worker Norm Henderson, a former NHL player who was banned from the sport for life thanks to gambling and tax evasion. The show ran for three seasons on ABC from 1999 to 2001.

After appearances in films such as “Billy Madison,” “Dirty Work” (which he also co-scripted), “Dr. Doolittle” and “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” his popular podcast spawned a streaming talk show — with the appropriately dry title “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” — for one season on Netflix in 2018.

“I’m an old man,” he told The Post at the time. “I’m just an old chunk of coal. I don’t even know how to use my phone.”

Despite his well-known aversion to sap, the legendary snark best summed up his fans’ reaction to his own passing way back in 2015. Fighting back “mawkish” tears during his last standup set on his hero David Letterman’s late-night show, Macdonald said: “If something is true — it is not sentimental. I say in truth, I love you.”

Norm Macdonald's last appearance on David Letterman's show was poignant then and is heartbreaking now pic.twitter.com/apOra11lxg
— Ronan Mullen (@RonanReigns) September 14, 2021

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Willie Garson Dies: ‘Sex And The City’ & ‘White Collar’ Star Was 57
Rosy Cordero 3 days ago


WillieSanjuan/Invision/AP

Willie Garson, a fan favorite on Sex and the City and co-star of White Collar, died at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. His longtime manager John Carrabino confirmed Garson’s death to Deadline.

Garson’s son Nathen Garson and actor Titus Welliver were among the first to announce Garson’s death on social media.

“I love you so much papa,” Nathan wrote on Instagram. “Rest in peace and I’m so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I’m so proud of you.”

“There are no words,” Welliver wrote, “I love you dear brother. We are fewer.”

Representatives from HBO and HBO Max shared a tribute to Garson on Tuesday.

“Willie Garson was in life, as on-screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe,” the statement reads. He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years.* We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.

Garson was shooting the Sex and the City revival series And Just Like That… for HBO Max, reprising the role of Stanford Blatch — the unofficial fifth bestie — in New York City. But his career in television began many years before the HBO series made him a star.

Born on February 20, 1964, in Highland Park, NJ, he often popped up in many small but notable roles in the 1980s and ’90s including Mr. Belvedere, Family Ties, Coach, Quantum Leap, Monk, Ally McBeal, Party of Five and Friends. His big opportunity arrived in 1996 when he joined the cast of NYPD Blue as Henry Coffield for seven episodes until 1999.

He followed that successful gig by playing Sarah Jessica Parker’s gay best friend in Sex and the City for the entirety of the series and the two films. Parker and Garson met after they were set up on a blind date.

Stanford and Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw were reunited for the HBO Max limited series And Just Like That… alongside Mario Cantone, who played his husband Anthony. The trio were spotted all around the Big Apple shooting since production began this summer.

In 2009, he joined the cast of freshman series White Collar for USA Network during its blues-skies era, playing clever conman Mozzie, close friend of lead protagonist Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer).

Garson often was cast as the close friend of the lead because of his infectious charm and his impeccable comedic timing. There was no Carrie Bradshaw without her Stanny, nor Neal without his Moz.

This talent worked well for him on the big screen, as well. His film credits include Troop Beverly Hills, Soapdish, Groundhog Day, Black Sheep, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Kingpin, Being John Malkovich, Just Like Heaven, There’s Something About Mary, Freaky Friday and The Polka King.

His 21st century TV credits also included a series-regular role on HBO’s John from Cincinnati; recurring on Hawaii Five-O, Supergirl, CSI: Miami, Stargate SG-1 and the animated Big Mouth; and guest turns on* Code Blue, Spin City, CSI, Monk, Las Vegas, Medium, Hot in Cleveland and Two and a Half Men.

Garson also starred in Whole Day Down, a 2011-15 satirical web series about art and the apocalypse.

He is survived by his son Nathen.

Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.

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With Al Harrington seen in the back. He will also pass away on the same day as Willie Garson.

[Frothy Afterbirth]

Al Harrington, Actor Known for Original ‘Hawaii Five-0’ Series, Dies at 85
By Mónica Marie Zorrilla


AP

Al Harrington, the Samoan-American actor known for his role as Detective Ben Kokua on “Hawaii Five-0,” died Sept. 21 after suffering a stroke earlier this month. He was 85.

Harrington was one of the last living cast members from the original CBS drama that aired from 1968 to 1980. He also had a recurring role as a different character on the series reboot that bowed on CBS in 2011.

“Al was truly a gift from God. A noble, compassionate, patient and gentle man with a witty sense of humor and a larger-than-life laugh that will echo in my heart until we are reunited,” Harrington’s wife, Rosa, said in a statement to People.* “It was his greatest honor to represent his people on-screen, and to serve them off-screen. To know him was to feel seen, loved, safe and welcomed. As an Icon for Hawai’i, our islands and her people are mourning his loss.”

Harrington, born Tausau Ta’a in 1935 in America Samoa. He moved to Honolulu with his mother three years later. He studied at Menlo College and Stanford University. After graduating with a degree in history, he returned to Hawaii and taught at the University of Hawaii.

On the side, he worked as a professional entertainer and dancer in Waikiki under the moniker “The South Pacific Man.” His acting debut was on “Hawai’i Five-0,” first as several other recurring characters in the earlier seasons and then as a regular in 1972. His other television credits include “Magnum, P.I.,” “Scrubs” and “The Byrds of Paradise,” and in 2018, he was honored with the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to his wife, survivors include sons Alema and Tau, daughters Summer and Cassi, and several grandchildren.

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Dean Stockwell, star of ‘Quantum Leap’ and ‘Dune,’ dead at 85
By Rob Bailey-Millado
November 9, 2021 7:50am



Dean Stockwell, “The Boy With Green Hair” who grew up to become one of the most beloved adult character actors of his generation, has died. The four-time “Quantum Leap” Emmy nominee and 1989 Oscar nominee for “Married to the Mob” was 85.

The accomplished actor and visual artist with more than 70 years’ worth of credits on his résumé passed peacefully at his home in Taos, New Mexico, of natural causes, his reps have confirmed.

Born Robert Dean Stockwell in 1936, the Hollywood native got his start in a series of supporting MGM child actor parts throughout the ’40s, including 1945’s “Anchors Aweigh” with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, 1947’s “Gentleman’s Agreement” opposite Gregory Peck and a starring role in Joseph Losey’s 1948 Technicolor sleeper hit “The Boy With Green Hair,” which made him a cult icon of sorts.

“I started at a very early age in this business and I’m sure most of you have read stories about people who have started as children and ended up in very difficult lives and bad consequences,” Stockwell once said of his early days as a kid star, according to his IMDb bio. “It’s not the easiest life in the world, but then no life is easy.”

His “Quantum Leap” co-star Scott Bakula said Stockwell’s decades in the biz resulted in “the greatest work ethic.” Bakula, 67, told LA’s ABC7, “He was a breath of fresh air and kept me laughing. He was unique in his determination to make each role his own.”

But before his TV and film fame, Stockwell suffered the struggles of many an aging former child star. During his awkward teen years, he mastered his craft in a string of guest gigs in 1950s “Golden Age of TV” series, including “The Twilight Zone,” “Wagon Train,” “Playhouse 90” and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.” In 1965, he took on the regular role of Dr. Rudy Devereaux opposite Richard Chamberlain’s “Dr. Kildare.”

Aside from a role as Billy the Kid in Dennis Hopper’s cult misfire “The Last Movie” in 1971, Stockwell would spend most of that trailblazing decade stuck in lackluster guest roles on “McCloud,” “Hart to Hart,” “The A-Team” and “Simon & Simon.”

However, Stockwell’s impact in the era still touched greatness: A screenplay he wrote was the inspiration for Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s seminal 1970 recording “After The Gold Rush.” In 1977, he designed the cover art for Young’s “American Stars’nBars” album. His friendship with Young would eventually lead to the duo co-directing and starring in the cult movie “Human Highway” in 1982.

“We made that movie without a script,” Stockwell told his local Taos tourism site in 2016.

His big screen comeback — some might call it his big break — came in Wim Wenders’ haunting “Paris, Texas,” a 1984 art house classic co-starring Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski. Later that year, he starred as Doctor Wellington Yueh in David Lynch’s now-legendary adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune.”

The rest of that decade was filled with scene-stealing roles in acclaimed films such as Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” William Friedkin’s “To Live and Die in L.A.,” Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “Gardens of Stone” and his Oscar-nominated turn as Michelle Pfeiffer’s wiseguy stalker in Jonathan Demme’s “Married to the Mob.”

But his biggest fame came with household name status via TV: His role as Admiral Al Calavicci in the NBC time travel series “Quantum Leap” earned him four Emmy nominations from 1989 to 1993.

After a recurring role in “Battlestar Galactica” from 2006 to 2009, his last credited role was “NCIS: New Orleans” in 2014 and a low-budget indie titled “Entertainment,” with John C. Reilly and Michael Cera, in 2015. He retired from acting at 78.

He spent the last decade making fine art and exhibiting at galleries around the country under his full name, Robert Dean Stockwell.

Those close to the artist describe him as a rebel who loved to act, laugh, smoke cigars and play golf, Deadline reported.

Stockwell is survived by his wife, Joy, and their children, Austin and Sophie.

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Art LaFleur, Actor in ‘The Sandlot’ and ‘Field of Dreams,’ Dies at 78
He played the Tooth Fairy in the second and third 'Santa Clause' films and had roles in TV shows from 'Malcolm in the Middle' to 'The Mentalist.'
BY TRILBY BERESFORD
NOVEMBER 19, 2021 8:22PM


ALBERT L. ORTEGA/GETTY IMAGES

Art LaFleur, a veteran character actor known for The Sandlot and Field of Dreams, died on Nov. 17. He was 78.

LaFleur’s wife of 43 years, Shelley, confirmed the actor’s death on Facebook, writing that he died after a 10-year battle with “A-typical Parkinson’s.”

The actor was born in Indiana and began his career in the 1978 TV movie Rescue From Gilligan’s Island, followed by an episode of Charlie’s Angels. He then appeared in numerous shows from M.A.S.H. and From Here to Eternity to Doogie Howser M.D. and The Incredible Hulk.

LaFleur had roles in a number of TV movies including Two of a Kind, Sometimes I Wonder and The Invisible Woman. On the big screen, LaFleur’s career included performances in Rampage, The Wrong Guys, Keaton’s Cop, The Blob and The Death Warrant.

In 2011, LaFleur was recognized by the Action on Film International Film Festival for his role among the ensemble cast of Dahmer vs. Gacy, a film from director Ford Austin.

“He brought laughter to so many people as Babe Ruth in the Sandlot, The Tooth Fairy in The Santa Clause 2 and 3, and Chick Gandil in Field of Dreams to name just a few,” wrote Shelley. She called him a “generous and selfless man which carried over to his acting but more importantly it was who he was for his family and friends.”

Later television roles included Cold Case, The Mentalist, Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show and Key and Peele.

“Art was larger than life and meant the world to us,” concluded Shelley.

Along with his wife, LaFleur is survived by children Joe and Molly, daughter-in-law Glenda and granddaughter, Frankie.

Nov. 20, 8:59 p.m.: Updated with list of family members whom LaFleur is survived by.

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Lisa Brown Dies, Guiding Light & As The World Turns Star Was 67
Lisa brown, veteran TV actress and Broadway star, passed away at age 67 on November 24.

BY SAMYARUP CHOWDHURY
PUBLISHED NOV 29, 2021



Veteran TV soap opera actress Lisa Brown passed away on November 24, at age 67. The Guiding Light actress is dearly missed by the soap opera community and her family members. As for the cause of her death, very little is known, other than the fact that she passed away after a "brief illness".

Lisa Brown, born on August 2, 1954, in Kansas City, Missouri, was one of the most iconic faces of television during the yesteryears. The Emmy nominated actress has brought to life several popular roles in TV soap operas like Iva Snyder (1985-1994) in As The World Turns and Nola Reardon (1980-1985) in Guiding Light. Apart from TV, she was also known for her Broadway career as she starred in the adaptation of 42nd Street.

Her career on TV was not limited to acting, as she featured in several credits as a Writer and a Director. Lisa Brown was at the helm of shows like Gotham the Series, MisGuiding Light, and One Life to Live as the director. She also directed a TV pilot called Waterfront, starring Scott Reeves. However, the show was never picked up by any network. Additionally, she was the acting coach in One Life to Live and Guiding Light.

It goes without saying that her loss hit the TV soap opera community pretty hard. Martha Byrne, who played her daughter Lily on As The World Turns, reminisces:

How blessed were we all are to have Lisa share her immense talent with us for decades... She was my friend since I was 15 years old from the day Doug Marland (Writer, As The World Turns) introduced me to my ‘mother’. Lisa was my mentor, mother, sister and so much more for my entire life. As a scene partner she was always present and full of creativity. As a writer and director her instincts were second to none. I will miss our daily calls about our families, our careers and everything in between. For the fans, she loved and respected you all more than you will ever know. She loved entertaining you and her appreciation for your support was immeasurable. We are devastated at the loss of an incredible woman.

Lisa Brown is survived by her children James and Victoria Nielsen, from her former husband Tom Nielsen (who played the role of her boyfriend in Guiding Light), and her two grandchildren, Penelope Ruiz-Nielsen and Brayden Hopf, in addition to her second husband Brian Neary (who she married in 1997).

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Arlene Dahl, Actress in ‘One Life to Live,’ ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ Dies at 96
By Pat Saperstein
Nov 29, 2021 12:30pm PT


Courtesy of Everett Collection

Arlene Dahl, the glamorous 1950s actress who later became a beauty writer and cosmetics executive, died on Monday in New York. She was 96.

Her son, actor Lorenzo Lamas, posted on Facebook, saying, “She was the most positive influence on my life. I will remember her laughter, her joy, her dignity as she navigated the challenges that she faced. Never an ill word about anyone crossed her lips. Her ability to forgive left me speechless at times. She truly was a force of nature and as we got closer in my adult life, I leaned on her more and more as my life counselor and the person I knew that lived and loved to the fullest.”

Born in Minneapolis, Dahl started out as a model and worked in theater before coming to Hollywood in 1946. She was briefly under contract at Warner Bros., then signed with MGM.

Her first MGM film was “The Bride Goes Wild,” starring Van Johnson and June Allyson. She went on to appear in “Reign of Terror,” “Three Little Words,” “Woman’s World,” “Slightly Scarlet” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

Her other films included “A Southern Yankee,” “Scene of the Crime,” “Desert Legion” and “Jamaica Run,” which starred Fernando Lamas, who she would marry.

While still working as an actress in TV and films, she founded Arlene Dahl Enterprises in the mid-1950s and sold lingerie and cosmetics, as well as becoming a beauty columnist. After leaving the acting business, she worked as an executive in advertising and for Sears, Roebuck & Co and founded a perfume company.

She later appeared in soap operas including “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” in addition to guest-starring on “Love, American Style,” “Fantasy Island” and “The Love Boat.”

Married six times, her former husbands included actors Lex Barker and Fernando Lamas, and wine entrepreneur Alexis Lichine.

She is survived by her husband, Marc Rosen, son Lorenzo Lamas, two other children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Bob Dole, Longtime U.S. Senator and 1996 Presidential Nominee, Dead at 98
By Dave Nemetz / December 5 2021, 10:45 AM PST



Bob Dole, who served in the Senate for nearly 30 years and was the Republican nominee for President in 1996, has died at the age of 98.

“It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep,” his wife Elizabeth’s foundation announced on Sunday. “At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years.”

Born and raised in Kansas, Dole served in the Army during World War II before working as a lawyer and being elected to the House of Representatives in 1960. Dole was then elected to the Senate in 1968, representing the state of Kansas there until 1996. He served as the Republican Party’s Senate leader from 1985 until 1996, and also ran as Gerald Ford’s vice-president in the 1976 election, but Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter.

Dole ran for President several times, losing in the 1988 primaries to George H.W. Bush. He returned in 1996, though, and claimed the Republican nomination, running against incumbent Democrat Bill Clinton. Dole chose Jack Kemp as his running mate, but lost the 1996 election to Clinton by a substantial margin. He retired from the Senate that year to concentrate on his presidential campaign and never again ran for elected office.

Dole was a mainstay in American political life for decades and inspired a number of pop-culture parodies. Norm Macdonald played Dole on Saturday Night Live during the 1996 campaign, and Dole himself appeared on the show to confront Macdonald after the election.

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Indy 500 legend Al Unser Sr. dies aged 82
By Andy Rose, CNN
Updated 6:48 AM ET, Fri December 10, 2021



(CNN)Legendary race car driver Al Unser Sr. died Thursday at his home in Chama, New Mexico, the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) announced.

He was 82 years old and had been battling cancer for the past 17 years, according to the racing league.
Unser won the Indianapolis 500 four times, one of only four racers in history to do so. IMS President J. Douglas Boles said Unser also set a record for the most laps led in the Indy 500.
"He will be remembered as one of the best to ever race at Indianapolis and we will all miss his smile, sense of humor, and his warm, approachable personality," Boles said in a statement.
"An icon and hero to racing fans around the world," IMS said in a statement on Friday. "A history-making and beloved member of the #IMS family. 4-time #Indy500 winner Al Unser has passed away at age 82. Godspeed, racer."
The most recent four-time winner, Brazilian driver Hélio Castroneves, posted his own tribute on Instagram early Friday morning.

"Descance em paz AL," Castroneves said, using the Portugese expression for "rest in peace."
Unser's survivors include his wife Susan and son Al Unser Jr., who is himself a two-time Indy 500 winner.

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[Frothy Afterbirth]

Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78
“With infinite love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement

By ANDY GREENE
DECEMBER 10, 2021 12:15PM ET


Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Monkees singer and guitarist Michael Nesmith, a pop visionary who penned many of the group’s most enduring songs before laying the groundwork for country rock with the First National Band in the early Seventies, died Friday from natural causes. He was 78.

“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a 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.”

Nesmith was known as the Monkee in the green wool hat with the thick Texas drawl, and the writer of songs like “Mary, Mary,” “Circle Sky,” “Listen to the Band,” and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” But he raged behind the scenes that the group didn’t have creative control of its albums, and in 1967 led the successful rebellion against record producer Don Kirshner. The group would subsequently release Headquarters and other albums created largely on its own.

In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Nesmith explained why he was so adamant that the Monkees write and record their own material despite the huge success they were enjoying at the time. “We were kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked – and/or wrote – than songs that were handed to us,” he said. “It made for a better performance. It was more fun. That this became a bone of contention seemed strange to me, and I think to some extent to each of us — sort of “What’s the big deal, why won’t you let us play the songs we are singing?”

Before he even joined the Monkees, Nesmith wrote a breakup song called “Different Drum.” The Monkees producers “said to him, ‘That’s not a Monkees song,’” Micky Dolenz told Rolling Stone in 2016. “Michael said. ‘Wait a minute, I am one of the Monkees.’ He gave it to Linda Ronstadt, and the rest is history.”

When the Monkees dissolved in the late Sixties, Nesmith formed the First National Band. And despite recording three classic country-rock albums, escaping the shadow of the Monkees proved nearly impossible. The group broke up shortly before the Eagles hit big with “Take It Easy.”

“I was heartbroken beyond speech,” Nesmith told Rolling Stone in 2018. “I couldn’t even utter the words ‘the Eagles,’ and I loved Hotel California and I love the Eagles, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, all that stuff. That was right in my wheelhouse, and I was agonized, Van Gogh–agonized, not to compare myself to him, but I wanted to cut something off because I was like, ‘Why is this happening?’ The Eagles now have the biggest-selling album of all time and mine is sitting in the closet of a closed record company?”

Nesmith spent the rest of the Seventies recording under-the-radar solo albums. In 1977, he promoted his single “Rio” with a clever music video that got a lot of play in Europe and Australia, turning the song into a minor hit. It gave him an incredible idea. “[I realized that] radio is to records as television is to video,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “Then it was like, ‘Of course!’ and thus MTV was born. I just took that idea and put together some programs and sent it over to Warner Bros. and so forth. Next thing you know, there it was.”

His life changed forever in 1980 when his mother, Liquid Paper inventor Bette Nesmith Graham, died and left him her substantial fortune. He used the money to invest in a series of businesses along with movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads. He didn’t participate in the Monkees reunion tours of the Eighties, leading to the false impression he was ashamed of his pop past.

“Quite the contrary,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “It was a nice part of the résumé. It was fun for me and a great time of my life. I mean, where do you want be in the Sixties except the middle of rock & roll, hanging out with the scene? London was an absolute blast, and so was L.A. back then. There was so much going on back then.”

He returned to the Monkees in 1996 for the LP Justus and a brief U.K. tour, but he wouldn’t return on a permanent basis until 2012, when the surviving members toured in the aftermath of Davy Jones’ death. A series of American Monkees tours followed, and he participated in Good Times!, their 2016 comeback LP.

The Monkees launched a farewell tour earlier this year and played their final show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th.

Despite all this, he was never quite sure the Monkees, who were formed by TV producers, were actually a real band. “All three of us have our own ideas,” he told Rolling Stone in 2016. “This being, ‘What is this thing? What have we got here? What’s required of us? Is this a band? Is this a television show?’ When you go back to the genesis of this thing, it is a television show because it has all those traditional beats. But something else was going on, and it struck a chord way out of proportion to the original swing of the hammer. You hit the gong and suddenly it’s huge.”

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