Jack Jones, Grammy-winning 'Love Boat Theme' singer, dies at 86 following leukemia battle

Pop singer Jack Jones, who scored Grammy wins in the 1960s with his singles "Lollipops and Roses" and "Wives and Lovers," has died. He was 86.

Jones died Wednesday night at a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital "after battling Leukemia for well over 2 years," Jones' manager, Milton B. Suchin, told USA TODAY on Thursday. The singer, Suchin added, "passed peacefully holding hands with his wife Eleonora and his beloved toy poodle Ivy."

Jones signed with Capitol Records in 1959 and released the album "This Love of Mine," which he described as "mediocre." After signing with Kapp Records, Jones won two Grammys for his first hit single "Lollipops and Roses" and 1963's "Wives and Lovers." He went on to release over a dozen albums through Kapp Records.

One of his most enduring hits was "Love Boat Theme," which invited viewers to "Set a course for adventure / Your mind on a new romance" on ABC’s romantic-comedy series "The Love Boat." The track went on to be covered by Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John and Charo.

Jones was also an actor and appeared in films such as "Juke Box Rhythm," "The Comeback," "Airplane II: The Sequel" and "Cruise of the Gods." He appeared as himself in the 2013 film "American Hustle," playing the role of a nightclub singer.

Born John Allan Jones on Jan. 14, 1938, in Hollywood to singer Allan Jones and Emmy-nominated actress Irene Hervey, Jones' debut at 19 was a brief stint in his father's show at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Three weeks later, he went out on his own and supported himself as a gas station attendant while chasing his dream of becoming a professional singer.

In April 1989, Jones received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was considered the last of the old lions of the Great American Songbook, succeeding legendary vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé and Tony Bennett.

He lived in and performed across California's Coachella Valley over the years, including a special performance for his 80th birthday. Ahead of the performance, he quipped that, because many of his singing "rivals" were deceased, his ambition was "to be the world's greatest singer by default."

Contributing: Brian Blueskye and Ema Sasic, USA TODAY Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Jones dies: Grammy-winning 'Love Boat Theme' singer dead at 86