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John Stewart, a musician and member of The Kingston Trio, will always be best remembered for writing the seminal 60’s Monkees hit “Daydream Believer.” He died over the weekend at San Diego Hospital after suffering a brain aneurism. He was 68.

“He was a lovely man and a very gentle soul and I guess the only thing you can say today is that the world is less one great songwriter,” the Monkees’ Micky Dolenz told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Stewart left the Kingston Trio shortly before the Monkees released “Daydream Believer” in 1967, then went on to record nearly four dozen solo albums, including the critically acclaimed “California Bloodlines” and “Bombs Away Dream Babies.” The latter included the hit single “Gold,” in which he dueted with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.

Still, as with “Daydream Believer,” he was likely best known for writing songs for others, including Joan Baez, Nanci Griffith, Roseanne Cash and Anne Murray.

“He was a cult hero, he never made it super huge,” said his manager, Dean Swett. “He was one of those outlaw rebels, one of the people who refused to conform to what the record labels expected him to be.”

Not a huge loss in music, but one nonetheless and for those closest to Stewart it sounds like this was a huge loss.

M4a: The Monkees – “Daydream Believer”