John Stewart, a member of the 1960s folk music band The Kingston Trio, has died, according to the band's website.
"The world has lost one of its best men, but a man who lived well and made many people happy with his love, his wit and his music," the site said.
Stewart, who wrote the Monkees 1967 hit Daydream Believer, suffered a massive stroke or brain aneurysm on Friday, dying early Saturday at a San Diego hospital. He was 68.
Daydream Believer stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for four weeks, and would later become a hit for Canadian songbird Anne Murray.
"There are certain songs that you just go in humming. It was one of those," Monkees member Micky Dolenz said of Daydream Believer, which he now performs at his solo shows.
"To this day, it is one of the biggest songs that I do in concert," he said.
Stewart joined The Kingston Trio in 1961, three years after the band released its version of an old folk song, Tom Dooley, which went on to become a major hit.
He replaced band founder Dave Guard, who had left to pursue a new musical direction.
Stewart spent six years leading the group, recording 13 albums. At one time in the early 1960s, The Kingston Trio had four albums on the Top 10-selling album list at the same time.
Their many hits also include Tijuana Jail and MTA.
When the trio disbanded in 1967, Stewart went on to an acclaimed solo career that included more than 40 albums.
Stewart was a prolific songwriter.
He wrote Runaway Train, a country hit for Roseanne Cash, and Strange Rivers, for Joan Baez in 1992. Other hit singles include Gold, a duet with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks.
The message on the group's website says Stewart worked right up until the time of his death, having just completed an album. It also revealed that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last summer.
The site says Stewart's wife Buffy and children were at his side when he died.
Plans had not been announced for memorial services.
