Drummer Dennis Thompson, who was the last surviving member of the legendary rock band MC5, has died. He was 75.
Thompson died at the MediLodge of Taylor care facility near Detroit, according to the Detroit Free Press. He had been in rehabilitation after a suffering a heart attack last month.
Thompson was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 7, 1948. He became a part of MC5 in 1965 joining the lineup which included singer Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith and bassist Michael Davis. Tyner and Smith died in the ‘90s while Davis died in 2012. Kramer died earlier this year.
In a post from 2018 on Thompson’s site, he wrote about how he caught “the bug for playing music” when he was only 13 years old.
“My parents were disappointed that I chose the band over school but they supported my decision,” the post read. “Who would know what fate had in store for me. If my parents ever thought I would wind up on a high performance search and destroy team as the MC5, I think my drums might have magically disappeared one night.”
Thompson had the nickname of “Machine Gun” due to his aggressive style of playing the drums which was essential to MC5′s distinct sound. The proto-punk band released two studio albums in the ‘70s which Thompson played on and he also contributed to their 1969 LP “Kick Out the Jams.” Thompson also reportedly played on two tracks of MC5′s final album, “Heavy Lifting,” which has yet to be released.
Last month, MC5 was announced as inductees for the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“It’s about f—— time!” Thompson reportedly said of the news while recovering in the hospital at the time.
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Saleah Blancaflor may be reached at sblancaflor@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @saleyley and Instagram.