John Stewart, a member of The Kingston Trio and the musician that wrote The Monkees’ hit “Daydream Believer” in the late 1960s, passed away on Friday, at 68.

John Stewart suffered a massive stroke on Thursday evening and passed away in the early hours of Friday, January 19, the official website of The Kingston Trio announces. He died in his hometown of San Diego and was surrounded by his family and friends. The musician was 68.

Born in San Diego, California, on Sept. 5, 1939, Stewart acted on his love for music from an early age, joining the folk group Cumberland Three in his teens and releasing three albums with them.

He joined The Kingston Trio in 1961 and remained with the influential folk group until 1967, when he embarked on a solo career. It was an auspicious career move, as that same year he wrote “Daydream Believer” for The Monkees.

The song was a huge hit for the pop-rock group and later for Anne Murray, who covered the song on her 1979 album “I'll Always Love You.”

Although the glory of “Daydream Believer” did not repeat in Stewart’s career, he nevertheless remained a prolific and enduring artist, who recorded more than 45 albums and continued to tour throughout the subsequent decades.

The Los Angeles Times notes that he was scheduled to perform in Santa Monica on Feb. 2 and that he was currently working on a new album.

His biggest hit as a solo artist was “Gold,” a top five single from the 1979 album “Bombs Away Dream Babies,” which entered the Top Ten on the Billboard Chart that year.

Stewart’s friend Tom Delisle wrote on The Kingston Trio website that the musician had learned a year ago that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. He had stabilized and was able to work. Doctors had also told him that he had apparently suffered various minor strokes in recent years.

Stewart is survived by his wife, Buffy Ford Stewart; their son, Luke, and three children from a previous marriage, Mikael, Jeremy and Amy.