We loved Davy Jones
British rocker Davy Jones, and a former Daily News Sexy Single, has died.
It's not every day that you get to tell the object of your celebrity crush how much you loved him as a kid. I did back in 2009 when Davy Jones of the British rock group, The Monkees was a Daily News Sexy Single.
Jones, who entered himself in the annual contest after spotting an ad in the paper and sending in a photo, had a horse farm in Beavertown, Pa. When I asked him why he'd entered, the twice-divorced Jones told me that he was a little loney out on the farm located about an hour from Harrisburg and that he wanted companionship. "It's all a bit of fun, the whole idea is," he told me.
Unfortunately for his local fans who had been hoping for an introduction, he married shortly after being featured in the Daily News.
When I asked him what made him move so fast, he said he had dated actress/flamenco dancer Jessica Pacheco, then 31, for two and a half years before they drifted apart mainly because of their careers. Then, one day, he'd been working on his farm and daydreaming of her when, "I said to myself, 'This is ridiculous. What am I doing building a wall here?' "
He hopped on a plane and went to her home where he proposed. After the couple reunited, they were engaged for just three weeks before marrying in a small ceremony at her parents' home in Miami. During their exchange of vows, Jones sang "All of Me" to his bride and invited their guests to join in. The couple honeymooned in Bali. He missed our annual Sexy Single party because he was just getting back from his honeymoon.
"I don't want to be alone any more," he told me afterwards. "I don't want to be on my own. It's great having been a teen idol, but when the curtain comes down, all I had before I met her was myself."
In addition to Jessica, he is survived by four adult daughters from previous marriages.
He was 66 and died in Florida from an apparent heart attack, according to TMZ.