The Monkees have led tributes to the late Davy Jones, following the singer's sad death this week. Mickey Dolenz, the band's singing drummer has said that Jones' death "leaves a gigantic hole in my heart," and refers to the British Monkee as "the brother I never had." The band's bass player, PETER TORK bid farewell to Davy by saying "Adios to the Manchester Cowboy."

Born in Openshaw, Manchester, in 1945, Jones joined the Monkees - a pop group formed by Screen Gems for the purpose of making a TV show around the band - in 1965 and the group experienced phenomenal success throughout the 1960s. They disbanded when the TV series ended but later reformed a number of times for nostalgic reunion tours. After complaining of breathing difficulties in the morning, Davy died of a heart attack at his Florida home yesterday (February 29, 2012). He was taken to hospital but medics were unable to resuscitate him. Mike Nesmith, a fellow member of The Monkees said in a statement, "I have fond memories. I wish him safe travels."

Davy Jones' sister, Hazel Wilkinson told BBC Radio Lancashire that she was surprised by his sudden death, as "He was the youngest member of the family, he was fit and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him." Tributes have also been trending on Twitter, with the actor Will Smith posting a message that simply read "R.I.P. Davy Jones. Retweet for respect." And at last night's NME awards, Kasabian led a tribute to The Monkees, getting the crowd singing along to the words "Hey hey, we're the Monkees."