Davy Jones was easily Twin Cities PR woman Mary Haugen's favorite Monkee.
The sudden death Wednesday of the 66-year-old Monkees singer from a massive heart attack at his Florida home brought instant e-mails and texts to Haugen.
"Oh, that's so sad," she said.
The Haugen Public Relations exec was Jones' handler in September 2005 when "The Davy Jones Band" headlined Septemberfest at Eagan's Faithful Shepherd Catholic School.
"He was just fun. He's on all the time. Funny, engaging, never turned it off. He knew how to work a crowd. He just knew how to be a performer, but he was a really nice person. He would just charm people instantly," she said. "He was nice to me, he was fun with my kids -- I had them along.
"You would think of somebody like that maybe being a little bit aloof when nobody's watching. ... He kept a sense of humor with the people who were with him and everyone."
Jones brought his group to Minnesota after a band member had a chance encounter at an airport in Italy with Father Charlie of St. John Neumann, said Haugen. Their conversation turned to Septemberfest, and the band mate offered to play it for cost, said Haugen. And a booking was born.
Jones endeared himself late one night to Haugen after a long day of media interviews.