End of a daydream: Monkees frontman Davy Jones dies

Jones was born in Manchester in 1945 (Getty Images)

Davy Jones, the lead singer of 1960s pop band The Monkees, has died in America.

The 66-year-old was rushed to Martin Memorial Hospital in Florida after suffering from a cardiac arrest, but could not be resuscitated.

His manager and brother-in-law, Joseph Pacheco, paid tribute, describing him as an "incredible human being".

Jones found fame as the unlikely frontman and lone Englishman of the American pop group, whose hits included "Daydream Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville".

The Monkees were brought together by producers in 1966 for a television series of the same name, which followed the exploits of a fictitious band.

The show's producers were keen to replicate the popularity of the Beatles movie A Hard Day's Night. The group also featured Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith, as a quartet of wannabe pop stars, forever in scrapes, trying to make ends meet or chasing girls.

Despite commercial success, they were initially mocked for the manufactured nature of their career, being dubbed the "Pre-Fab Four" by critics. But they eventually proved themselves, writing more of their own songs and starring in the cult 1960s film Head.

Before finding success in the United States, Jones, pictured – who was born in Manchester in 1945 – famously took a brief role in Coronation Street during the show's early days in the early 1960s, while still a teenager.

Only last year, Jones was touring the heritage circuit once again as he teamed up with most of his bandmates. Their lasting appeal was demonstrated in May last year when the group were able to fill the Albert Hall.

Jones is survived by his four children. He lived in the US with his third wife, Jessica Pacheco, who is 31 years his junior.

The former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr paid tribute to Jones last night. He said: "I was listening to some Monkees records recently, I like a lot of them. He has a legacy because people are talking about him today."