Peter Tork was best known as the bass guitarist and keyboardist of The Monkees – both the band and the television show. He died on February 21, 2019 at 77 after a battle with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare, slow-growing form of head and neck cancer.
Peter auditioned for the sitcom, The Monkees, in 1965. After he was chosen by executives, he joined his bandmates, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith. The band went on to release nine studio albums and were nominated for four Grammy Awards.
After leaving The Monkees, Peter released a solo album, Stranger Things Have Happened, and performed with his band, Shoe Suede Blues. While his music career is legendary, Peter’s personal life is just as interesting.
The singer was married four times and had three children. Here’s everything we know about The Monkees’ star and his children.
© InstagramIvan
Peter split with Reine in 1974 and quickly moved on, marrying his third wife, Barbara a year later. The two were together until 1987 and welcomed one child together, a son named Ivan. Like his father, Ivan is a musician. Plus according to his Instagram, he is an artist, designer, curator, and educator based in San Francisco.
On his website, Ivan describes his artistic point of view, writing: “Much of [my] work involves shaping how projects are made public and sustained over time. Recent projects use flexible, contemporary publishing systems designed to be durable, fast, and maintainable without ongoing platform fees. I work collaboratively and care about getting details right.”
© Getty ImagesIvan honored his dad after his death
On the third anniversary of Peter’s passing, Ivan posted a tribute to him on Instagram. He simply captioned the post of throwback photos: “3 years.” Many fans of The Monkees commented on the post. One person wrote: “That first pic looks so much like you.” Another commented: “His music and comedic talent are still bringing joy to so many tho. Such an awesome guy, Pete was.”
© Getty ImagesErica
In 1997, ten years after he divorced Barbara, Peter welcomed his third child, a daughter named Erica Marie with a woman named Tammy Sestak. But, there is very little known about Erica or how long Peter was with Tammy.
© Getty ImagesPeter’s fourth and final wife
In 2013, Peter married Pamela Grapes. The two lived in Connecticut until his death in 2021. During the entirety of his relationship with Pamela, Peter was battling cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2009 and leaned on his family for support.
That same year, Peter revealed that he underwent surgery on his tongue for adenoid cystic carcinoma.
In a 2011 interview with Daily Mail, Peter shared: “I did my vocal exercises and the doctors decided I didn’t need speech therapy. It was a tough time but my daughter, Hallie, was a real support to me.”
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