Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees, dies in Indiantown, according to medical examiner's office

PHOTO GALLERY | Remembering Davy Jones   bitly link: http://bit.ly/wX4KlA

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. -- Monkees lead singer Davy Jones died Wednesday morning of an apparent heart attack in Martin County.

He was a familiar face on the Treasure Coast. Those who knew him say he gave his best performances at community benefits.
 
He appeared last month at the 8th annual "Groovy Night At The Races with Davy"  at the Indian River State College Campus in Stuart.  

The event has raised a quarter million dollars for schools in Indiantown, where 98% of the students qualify for free and reduced price lunches.  

Debbie Banta of the Indiantown Education Coalition helped recruit Jones to perform and became a good friend. "Sang, entertained, danced…went around to all the tables, shook hands, signed autographs, helped me clean up.  Helped all of us clean up."

John Loesser, the Executive Director of the Lyric Theatre, and son of a famous Broadway composer, remembers meeting Jones when he was just a boy. "I saw him on Broadway.  He was  in Oliver and he did great.  Went out to dinner with him, then the next day I went out to the track and watched him work horses."

Jones had more than a dozen horses he kept and trained in Martin County.  

According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, a witness says Jones was complaining about not feeling well and having trouble breathing Wednesday morning.  

Fire-Rescue took him to Martin Health System's hospital off Salerno Road where he was pronounced dead.  

There doesn't appear to be anything suspicious surrounding his death.   

Those who knew Jones say his heart may have failed him, but it was always in the right place when it came to helping out in the community.

"That was Davy Jones, that was really him.  He came back 8 years in a row to do that and he was still talking about coming back next year," Banta said.

Jones' wife Jessica performed last week at the Lyric Theatre as part of her dance troupe "Flamenco Express".  

To give you an idea of how unpretentious Davy Jones was, people here say he served as a member of the road crew.
 
Jones was 66.