Dennis Thompson, the drummer whose thunderous, hard-hitting type powered the proto-punk sound of the loud, outspoken and extremely influential Detroit rock band MC5, died on Thursday in Taylor, Mich. He was 75.
He died in a rehabilitation facility whereas recovering from a current coronary heart assault, his son, Chris McNulty, mentioned.
Mr. Thompson was the final surviving member of MC5, which might be inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame in October.
He joined the group in 1966 at 17 years previous. His intense enjoying type in MC5, quick for Motor Metropolis 5, earned him his nickname “Machine Gun” from his bandmates, for the way ferociously he hit the drums. He performed that means as a result of the group couldn’t afford to attach a microphone to his drums in its early days.
“The amps had been turned as much as 10, so he principally simply needed to hit the drums as exhausting as he probably may to be heard,” Mr. McNulty mentioned.
The band was politically outspoken and aligned with the countercultural left, supporting the anti-Vietnam Struggle motion and protests towards racism.
Musically, MC5 was referred to as one of many forefathers of punk rock, beginning with the breakout 1969 reside album, “Kick Out the Jams.”
Born Dennis Tomich in Detroit on Sept. 7, 1948, Mr. Thompson’s demise adopted that of a fellow band member, the guitarist Wayne Kramer, in February. Mr. Thompson had been recovering from a coronary heart assault in April when plans for the Corridor of Fame induction had been introduced.
In his last years, Mr. Thompson fashioned an sudden father-son relationship with Mr. McNulty, 55, who mentioned he used ancestral analysis to trace down his organic dad and mom after being adopted at start. Mr. McNulty met Mr. Thompson, his organic father, in late 2022.
Along with his son, Mr. Thompson is survived by his sister, Donna, Mr. McNulty mentioned.
