Singer, songwriter and actor Hoyt Axton [ tickets ] -- who penned Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World" and many other rock and country music hits -- died at his home in Victor, Mont. early today (10/26). He was 61.

Axton suffered one severe heart attack two weeks ago, then another while undergoing surgery in a Missoula, Mont. hospital, according to the AP. He reportedly never fully recovered from a 1995 stroke.

Axton most recently made the news in 1997, when he and his wife, Deborah Hawkins, were arrested after police found more than a pound of marijuana in their home. At the time, Hawkins' lawyer said that she gave Axton the marijuana to relieve the pain and anxiety caused by the stroke. Each received a fine and a deferred sentence last year.

Born in Duncan, Okla., Axton followed his late mother, Mae Boren Axton, into the music business. She was a respected songwriter who co-wrote the Elvis Presley hit ''Heartbreak Hotel.''

Hoyt Axton's first notable credit was 1962's ''Greenback Dollar,'' a song he co-wrote with Ken Ramsey, recorded by the Kingston Trio in 1963. The song led to his signing with Horizon Records, which released the first of what would be Axton's dozens of albums.

As evidenced by the range of artists who recorded his material, Axton was adept in writing rock, pop, folk and country music. Steppenwolf recorded his song ''The Pusher'' in 1971 and Ringo Starr covered Axton's ''The No No Song'' in 1975. His work has also been covered by Elvis Presley (''Never Been to Spain,'' which was a hit for Three Dog Night), Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez and John Denver, among others.

Axton scored hits as a singer with ''Boney Fingers'' and ''When The Morning Comes.''

His acting career included appearances on both the big screen (''Gremlins'' and ''The Black Stallion'') and the small screen (''Bonanza,'' ''WKRP in Cincinnati,'' ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' and numerous televison commercials).