Grammy-winning singer Jack Jones, whose 1977 recording of “The Love Boat” theme song still reverberates in pop culture, has died at the age of 86.
Jones died Wednesday night at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, after battling leukemia for two years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jones had a successful six-decade career starting in 1962 with his first hit, “Lollipops And Roses,” though his vocal style seemed more in tune with crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin more than contemporaries such as Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
His biggest pop hit, “Wives And Lovers,” hit No. 14 in 1963 and won him the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance — though the lyrics, which suggest women should just stay at home and make their fellas happy, have not aged well.
That’s something Jones has acknowledged when performing the song in the 21st century.
“Since it’s a politically incorrect song, I start it out with a disclaimer,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I hear that women still call up radio stations, angry that such a sexist song is being played. It’s now part of history, it won a Grammy, and I meant no harm when I did it. It made my career, and I’m grateful for that.”
Michael Kovac via Getty Images
Jones grew up in show business as the son of singer Allan Jones, most famous for his co-starring role in the 1935 Marx Brothers comedy, “A Night At The Opera.” and Irene Hervey, an actor whose film and television career spanned five decades.
In fact, he claimed that his birthdate — Jan. 14, 1938 — just happened to be the same day his dad recorded his best-known song, “Donkey Serenade,” for RCA Victor.
Jones and his dad performed together when Jones was starting out, and they also starred in a 1980 “Love Boat” episode where they played a feuding father and son.
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“The Love Boat” is probably Jones’ best-known song to modern audiences, even though it was never a chart hit for him.
Still, the reaction to his performance gave him steady work on cruise ships in his later years, he told Las Vegas Magazine in 2016.
“I did six weeks a year,” Jones said. “They gave me the best suite on the ship, and it was the S.S. Norway. We just had a great time.”
Jones was married six times, including once to former Bond girl Jill St. John. He married his last wife, Eleonora, in 2009.
In addition to his wife, Jones is survived by two daughters, two stepdaughters and four grandchildren.
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