The Monkees Co-Founder Peter Tork has passed away today, at the age of 77, after a decade long battle with a rare cancer called andenoic cystic carcinoma. His family released a statement earlier today ,which said Tork “died peacefully this morning at a family home in Connecticut [after succumbing] to a 10-year bout with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer of the salivary glands.”

Tork was notable for playing the playful term “third chair guitar,” on the first two albums released by the Monkees, becoming the sole member allowed to play an instrument. On later projects by the band, Tork played instruments such as keyboards, bass guitar, banjo and harpsichord among others.

Originally conceived as a comedic television show and the “American answer to The Beatles,” The Monkees were assembled by veteran television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider. The self-titled program, which aired from 1966 to 1968 saw the group go on numerous misadventures, as they performed pop-tunes written for the show which were typical of the 1960s era.

Despite being conceived as a television show, the artists began to take control of the group’s musical output, even writing classic hits such as  “I’m a Believer” and “Daydream Believer.” These hits helped the group push more than 50 million records worldwide.

One of Tork’s college friends Stephen Stills got Tork the role with the program, after Stills himself was turned down for not having what producers called an “open Nordic look.” Tork fit the profile and was eventually given a role on the show, launching his entertainment career.

After the original break-up of The Monkees, Tork went solo and ended up teaming up with a member from the very band he was supposed to compete with: George Harrison. Tork collaborated with the former Beatle for the soundtrack of his 1968 film Wonderwall, which served as an early example of the experimental style Harrison would embrace.

Tork would end up reuniting with his former Monkees bandmates on multiple occasions,the first for their 20th anniversary celebration back in 1985, and then several more shows throughout the 80s, 90s and 2000s. One of the more recent works included the 2016 album Good Times, which featured collaborations with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Noel Gallagher formerly of Oasis, and Paul Weller, formerly of The Jam.

Back in 2012, Davy Jones, the notable frontman of the group, had passed away due to complications caused by a heart attack. Jones was 66.

As a co-founder of the group, Tork held fond memories of the band’s former front-man and gave his name praise in an interview asking about Jones’ passing.

“We dearly miss our dear departed brother; our brother in arms; the small one, now what’s his name, it will come to me in a minute (laughter).We called him the Manchester Cowboy,” Tork explained in an interview with UK Music Reviews back in 2015.”Davy had a love affair; a brief flirtation with country music for a little while and we called him the Manchester Cowboy from that, and it stuck. It’s all fond memories.”