EXCLUSIVE: How Last Monkee Micky Dolenz is Still Managing to Stay Strong at 80 As He Keeps Carrying Torch For Late Bandmates
The last remaining Monkee Micky Dolenz is still performing at 80 and keeping the spirit of his late bandmates alive.
May 30 2025, Published 3:06 p.m. ET
The last living Monkee, Micky Dolenz, is still going strong aged 80 — and compares himself to the "Energizer Bunny."
RadarOnline.com can reveal the musician is still touring, despite his advancing years, as he’s determined to keep The Monkees spirit alive following the deaths of his three bandmates.
Still 'Monkeeing' Around
Dolenz says he feels like the 'Energizer Bunny' despite his advancing years.
He still performs the band’s classic hits, including Daydream Believer, alongside covers from other chart-topping artists, and has no plans to retire.
Micky is carrying on for his three late bandmates, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, and says he's "just glad to be above ground."
He added: "When I look back on my life, I wonder how I survived — my mother said I had a guardian angel."
Fictional Band-Turned-Super Group
The Monkees were originally put together for a TV show but their talent saw them top the charts.
The Monkees became an unlikely hit band in the 1960s when the four members were cast to portray a fictional band for the 1965 NBC sitcom of the same name in the hope of capitalizing on the success of the Beatles.
Show producers originally planned on using the then unknown band the Lovin’ Spoonful, but when the deal fell through, they focused on Jones, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as the Artful Dodger in the musical Oliver! on Broadway.
The band released a number of classic hits including Daydream Believer.
Little did producers know that when they cast Delonz (a guitarist who had to learn the drums), Tork (bass), and Nesmith (guitar) out of nearly 450 other applicants, they had a group of talented musicians who were capable of forming a real-life band.
Delonz compares the Monkees’ transformation into a real band to Pinocchio becoming a real boy.
During their two-season run, The Monkees earned two Primetime Emmy Awards, and the band launched a long string of hit songs, including Daydream Believer, I’m a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville.
Delonz says he's 'just glad to be above ground'.
After the show was axed in 1968, the Monkees remained together for two years, recording two albums and touring.
They broke up in 1970 but had several reunions.
Jones was the first to die, succumbing to a heart attack at age 66 on his horse ranch in 2012.
Then Tork passed away in 2019 from cancer at 77 in his Willimantic, Connecticut, home.
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The singer still tours despite suffering from 'aches and pains'.
Finally, Nesmith was felled by heart failure following a quadruple bypass surgery at 78 in his Carmel Valley, California, home in 2021.
Today, Delonz is touring and performing all the Monkees’ classic hits and despite dealing with the "typical aches and pains" of his eight decades, the musician insists he feels like "the Energizer Bunny."
He added: "The travel is tough, but the shows are easy.
"That's why they call it playing. It’s not just about looking back — it's about celebrating the music with people who've made it part of their lives."
