Los Angeles [US], September 15 : Bobby Hart, of the iconic 'Boyce & Hart', has passed away at the age of 86.
The news was confirmed by the official social media handle of The Monkees, the made-for-television group by Don Kirshner, along with a heartfelt tribute.
"Very sad news to report: Bobby Hart, the songwriting dynamo who was half of the duo responsible for so many Monkees songs, has died. With partner Tommy Boyce, Bobby penned tracks like "I Wanna Be Free," "Last Train to Clarksville," the iconic 'Monkees' theme, and so many more, in addition to his solo songwriting career with hits like "Hurts So Bad" for Little Anthony & the Imperials. He will be remembered for his incredible talent and his innate spirituality," the post read.
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According to TMZ, Hart took his last breath at his Los Angeles residence after struggling with declining health over the past year.
Born in February 1939, Bobby Hart started his career as a solo artist with the 1960 song 'Girl in the Window', before collaborating with co-writer Tommy Boyce. Throughout their time together, Hart and Boyce wrote several hits for the Monkees, including the theme for the TV series, along with the 1966 No.1 'Last Train to Clarksville', and follow-up singles like 'Valleri', 'I Wanna Be Free', and Words', among others, as per Variety.
Besides the 'Monkees' theme, the duo also wrote the theme song for 'Days of Our Lives'. Another of their hit title came with 'Hurt So Bad'.
Though they remained best known for their connection to the Monkees, they also found success as a duo, releasing three albums and a number of tracks. One of their singles, 'I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight' reached No.8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967, the report added.
Bobby Hart also bagged an Oscar nomination for 'Over You'. His longtime partner, Tommy Boyce, passed away in 1994.
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