LEGENDARY singer Jack Jones has died aged 86.
The Grammy-winner was once labelled as the heir to Frank Sinatra, boasting hits like Lollipops and Roses and The Impossible Dream.
5
5
The singer’s stepdaughter Nicole Whitty told The Hollywood Reporter he had sadly died after a two-year battle with leukaemia on Wednesday.
Jones was well-known as the theme singer for Wives and Lovers and Love Boat.
The star won two Grammy Awards and received a whopping total of five nominations.
For an unbelievable eight seasons of The Love Boat that began in 1977, Jones sang the theme song that exuded romance with the words: “Love, exciting and new. Come aboard, We’re expecting you.”
The catchy tune benefited Jones’ career greatly, and the legend released The Love Boat Theme as a single in 1979.
In 1982 Airplane II: The Sequel, Jones is seen performing the theme song in a cameo as a charismatic lounge singer.
Jones was born into a showbiz family with his mother, Irene Hervey, being an Emmy-nominated actress who was in films and on television for more than 50 years.
And his father, Allan Jones, played the male lead in 1936 Show Boat and in the Marx Brothers’ A Night at the Opera in 1935.
The star, apart from his voice, was known for his ladies’ man persona.
He was married six times, most notably to actress Jill St. John for just over a year in the late 60s.
Jones was also, at one point, romantically linked to actress Susan George.
In 1959 the star had his first recording contract with Capitol Records where he debuted his album This Love of Mine.
On the album was his rendition of the Steve Allen Composition called This Could Be the Start of Something Big.
Capitol was attempting to turn Jones into a rockabilly singer and eventually dropped him – but Kapp Records was there to pick him back up.
And soon Jones hit legendary status with Lollipops and Roses – which was recorded when he was on two weeks’ leave from the US Air Force Reserve.
The single impressively reached number 12 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, which earned him a Grammy in 1962 for best male solo vocal performance.
This also granted him the status as the heir to Frank Sinatra.
Jones soon collected another Grammy in 1964 for Wives and Lovers which rose to number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and was even nominated for Record of the Year.
But as years went by, Wives and Lovers lyrics became more disliked as the song advised women to bow down to their husbands in order to keep them faithful.
Jones sang: “Don’t think because there’s a ring on your finger, you needn’t try anymore.”
By the 90s, calls began to ban the song – but this led Jones to change the words to make fun of men.
Jones was born in Los Angeles in 1938, and by his teen years, he was recording demos to kick-start his singing career.
By 1958, the legend was taking to the stage with his dad at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The star was a Las Vegas headliner for a whopping seven decades and released over 50 albums during his successful career – and even performed into his 80s.
5
5