The Birds And The Bees singer Jewel Akens has died due to complications from back surgery.

He passed away on Friday (01Mar13) at the Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, California, aged 79, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Born in Houston, Texas, Akens launched a music career in the late 1950s, working with guitarist Eddie Cochran, composer Eddie Daniels and a group called the Turnarounds.

He later found fame in 1965 with the hit track The Birds and the Bees, which was written by record producer Herb Newman's teenage son and later covered by Dean Martin.

Afterwards, the R&B crooner recorded a handful of singles with The Four Dots and The Medallions before going on tour with the Monkees. He continued to perform well into his 70s.