Dennis Thompson, MC5 Drummer and Final Classic Member, Dead at 75

Dennis Thompson, the drummer and final remaining member of MC5, has died at the age of 75.

According to the Detroit Completely totally free Push, Thompson handed away at MediLodge of Taylor, a care facility outdoors of Detroit. The rocker seasoned been rehabilitating there subsequent a heart attack endured in April.

In a 2018 write-up on his web page, Thompson recalled catching “the bug for taking component in music” when he was just 13 years outdated. “My moms and dads ended up dissatisfied that I chose the band in excess of college but they supported my option,” the rocker wrote. “Who would know what destiny had in shop for me. If my parents ever imagined I would wind up on a big efficiency appear for and wipe out group as the MC5, I feel my drums could have magically disappeared a single evening.”

Study Additional: How MC5 Commenced a Revolution With ‘Kick Out the Jams’

Thompson turned a member of MC5 in 1965, becoming a member of the standard lineup which involved singer Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith and bassist Michael Davis. Thompson was the pretty final surviving member of the group – Tyner and Smith died in the ’90s, Davis passed in 2012, and Kramer and the band’s longtime supervisor John Sinclair died previously this yr.

Thompson’s Style Was Crucial to MC5

Supplied the nickname “Machine Gun” mostly due to the fact of his intense style of taking component in, Thompson was pivotal to MC5’s look. The influential proto-punk group made a pair of studio albums in the ‘70s, equally of which Thompson played on. He also contributed to their groundbreaking 1969 LP Kick Out the Jams, as nicely as fairly a handful of additional additional dwell releases. Thompson also reportedly performed on two tracks for MC5’s but-to-be-launched remaining album, Heavy Lifting.

In April, MC5 was declared as inductees for the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame course. Thompson, who was recovering in the healthcare facility at the time, was reportedly delighted by the honor and declared “It really is about fucking time!” when the announcement was developed.

“Dennis was thrilled with it, so thrilled and pleased,” Becky Tyner, widow of MC5 vocalist Rob Tyner, recalled. “He just needed to get dwelling to his cat, Annie, and was optimistic about recovering.”