Private Funeral Held For Monkees Davy Jones, Public Memorials Planned

Billboard.com reports that a private funeral service was held yesterday, March 7th, for the late singer Davy Jones near his home in Florida. Family members, including his wife and daughter, attended the quiet service. Suriving bandmembers Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz did not attend the service in order to avoid a media frenzy at the event. 

According to Helen Kensick, publicist for Jones, the singer was to be cremated and his ashes returned to his place of birth in Manchester, England, where a public memorial service is being planned for next week. Bandmates Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith are expected to attend another planned public event next week in either Los Angeles or New York. 

Dolenz told Billboard, "There are a lot of people who are grieving pretty hard. The Monkees obviously had a following...and so did (Jones) on his own. So I'm not surprised (by the outpouring of grief), but I was flattered and honored to be considered one of his friends and a cohort in Monkee business. It's like losing a brother."

Jones died of a heart attack at his Florida home on February 29. He was 66 years old. 

Jones, Dolenz and Tork toured in 2011 to mark the Monkees' 45 anniversary and the entire group last reunited during 1997 in the U.K. to promote their "Justus" reunion album. However in recent interviews, both Tork and Dolenz have shared that without Jones, The Monkees will most likely not continue as a group.