Jack Jones dead: The Love Boat star dies aged 86 after stellar Grammy-winning career

LEGENDARY singer Jack Jones has died aged 86.

The Grammy-winner was once labelled as the heir to Frank Sinatra with hits with 'Lollipops and Roses' and 'Wives and Lovers'.

Jones died on Wednesday night at Eisenhower Medical in Rancho Mirage, California, after a tragic two-year battle with leukaemia, his step-daughter confirmed.

He was known as the theme singer for 'Wives and Lovers' and 'Love Boat'.

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."

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.

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