Davy Jones Dead: Martin Sheen Reacts to Monkees Singer's Death

The shock of Davy Jones' sudden death continues to reverberate around the world, including backstage at a We Day youth rally in Montreal where the story broke as Martin Sheen was giving a speech describing himself as a product of the 1960s, an era he shared with Jones and the Monkees.

"What? Davy Jones? From the Monkees? Oh my God, he's younger than I am," Sheen gasped after Spinner became the unfortunate bearer of bad news about the 66-year-old singer's fatal heart attack. "He was such a charming young man, and he was having the time of his life on that show. I loved 'The Monkees.'"

"God send an angel to collect him," he added, making the sign of the cross.

"[Jones] was an athlete, did you know that?" Sheen then inquired. "I met him many, many years ago, in England, actually. He'd gone back. He was still riding horses, he was a professional jockey. This would have been the late-'70s, I was doing a film ['Loophole'] with Albert Finney in London in 1979. I was very disarmed by how small [Jones] was. I didn't realize. And you don't want to look over the top of someone's head, especially someone you admire.

"He had such a quick smile, and he was very sweet. I remember that. God rest."

Though the Monkees never got close to the credit of their musical inspiration, the Beatles, Martin said their contribution to '60s music was underrated because of how they formed as a TV band with their own show.

"They were collected, they didn't come together of their own volition. Nonetheless, 'Last Train to Clarksville,' that's a lovely, lovely song," Sheen said, before briefly singing the chorus to 'Stepping Stone.' "Then the title song, 'We're the Monkees.' That was a big hit, it was on the charts."

"Hey, hey, we're the Monkees, people say we monkey around," Martin then sung again. "Oy, just today, eh?"

A Photo Retrospective of Davy Jones

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Read Spinner's 2011 Interview With Davy Jones