Davy Jones dead: A generation's heartbreaker or head scratcher?

Back in the 1960s, The Monkees exploited the so-called generation gap. The death of Davy Jones has exposed that age split all over again more than four decades later.

"When I was a kid I wanted to BE Davy Jones," tweeted actor Kevin Bacon, 53, after news broke Wednesday of Jones' death from a heart attack at age 66. "Big part of what led me to showbiz."

Bacon wasn't the only one left mourning. "Today" weather guy Al Roker, who is 57, tweeted that with the passing of Jones, "a little bit of my youth just died."

PHOTOS: Davy Jones | 1945-2012

But not everyone was so moved. People far too young to remember the cultural tumult of the 1960s were often left scratching their heads, just as they were when Paul McCartney performed at the Grammys this month.

Many younger wits indulged in inevitable maritime jokes. For instance, @annagracecook tweeted: "Davy Jones? Who is that? the guy with the locker on spongebob?"

@ahluckygirl wrote: "Mom is seriously like so sad over him. R.I.P. Davy Jones."

Perhaps @loudmadman summed it up best, by noting that Jones' death came just one day before current teen idol Justin Bieber turns 18. "This cannot be just a mere coincidence."

What do you think? Was Jones one for the ages, or a strictly a boomer icon?

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: The Monkees (with Davy Jones, right) tapped into the 1960s generation gap. Credit: Bob Carey/Los Angeles Times