Jack Jones, the Grammy-winning singer best known for performing the theme tune to The Love Boat, has died. He was 86.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, his stepdaughter Nicole Whitty announced Jones’s death on Wednesday night (October 23) at Eisenhower Medical in Rancho Mirage, California, after a two-year battle with leukemia.
Along with his hit TV theme song, Jones was also known for early Sixties pop hits including “Lollipops and Roses” and “Wives and Lovers.” He made notable cameos as a lounge singer in both 1982’s Airplane II: The Sequel and 2013’s American Hustle.
He was born John Allan Jones in Los Angeles on January 14, 1938 – the same night his father, actor and Marx Brothers collaborator Allan Jones, was recording his own hit song, “The Donkey Serenade.” His mother Irene Hervey was also an actor, whose film and television career spanned five decades.
Jones got his start performing at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1959, he signed with Capitol Records and released his debut album, This Love of Mine.
In August 1961, he recorded the ballad “Lollipops and Roses,” which later became a hit and earned Jones his first Grammy for Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male. His 1963 single, “Wives and Lovers,” was written by the acclaimed songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The track brought Jones even more success, including a second Grammy.
Jones remained a prolific artist throughout the Sixties, often releasing several albums a year. Although rock’n’roll was on the rise, Jones typically recorded in a more traditional Big Band style favored by an older audience.
In 1977, Jones recorded “Love Boat,” which would be used as the theme tune for the first nine seasons of ABC’s popular romantic-comedy series, The Love Boat. The song was composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Paul Williams, and became Jones’s signature track.
Jones was married six times. From 1967 to 1969, he was married to actor Jill St John. In 1970, he married Gretchen Roberts. He was also romantically linked to actor Susan George.
From 1976 to 1982, he was married to Kathy Simmons, and to Kim Ely from 1982 to 2005.
Jones and Ely welcomed a daughter, Nicole, in 1991. He has another daughter, Crystal Thomas, from his marriage to Lee Fuller. Jones lived with his sixth wife Eleonora until his death.
