BREAKING: Acclaimed Hollywood director and co-creator of The Monkees passes away aged 89

Bob Rafelson, the Oscar-nominated Hollywood director, and co-creator of 1960s pop legends The Monkees, has passed away at the age of 89.

Bob Rafelson, the acclaimed American Hollywood film director, writer, and producer, has passed away at the age of 89. Rafelson was also the co-creator of the legendary 1960s pop group The Monkees.

He died on the evening of Saturday, July 23, as confirmed by his wife Gabrielle Taurek. She said her husband had been surrounded by his family when he passed away at his home in Aspen, Colorado, as reported by dailystar.co.uk.

Rafelson co-wrote and directed ‘Five Easy Pieces’ in 1970, for which he received an Oscar nomination. In 1971 he was up again when he produced ‘The Last Picture Show’. Other classics include ‘Easy Rider’ in 1969, and 1981’s ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’.

In 1965, in conjunction with Bert Schneider, he created BBS Productions. Their first project was going to be a television series about a rock ‘n’ roll group. “I had conceived the show before The Beatles existed”, Rafelson later said.

They subsequently created The Monkees and the successful series ran from 1966 until 1968. The TV show spawned a string of huge hits for the band, including ‘I’m A Believer, ‘Daydream Believer’, and ‘Last Train To Clarksville’. 

When the ‘New Hollywood era dawned in the 1970s, Rafelson was at the heart of it, and is widely credited with opening the door for the likes of future movie giants Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, and Martin Scorsese.

Twitter was awash with tributes to the hugely-popular figure, with former Monkees member Micky Dolenz tweeting:

1) One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at LA Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called, “The Monkees”.The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson. At first I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. pic.twitter.com/X5XKxATqPt

— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) July 24, 2022

2) Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life. Regrettably, Bob passed away last night but I did get a chance to send him a message telling him how eternally grateful I was that he saw something in me.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart my friend. pic.twitter.com/LHzi15BhMi

— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) July 24, 2022

Bob Rafelson, the maverick filmmaker and producer who directed 'Five Easy Pieces' and co-created 'The Monkees,' has died at the age of 89 https://t.co/owbNyEGpkq

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) July 24, 2022

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