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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 latest coronary heart assault, his son, Chris McNulty, stated.
Mr. Thompson was the final surviving member of MC5, which shall be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October.
He joined the group in 1966 at 17 years outdated. His intense taking part in type in MC5, brief for Motor City Five, earned him his nickname “Machine Gun” from his bandmates, for a way ferociously he hit the drums. He performed that approach as a result of the group couldn’t afford to attach a microphone to his drums in its early days.
“The amps have been turned as much as 10, so he mainly simply needed to hit the drums as laborious as he probably may to be heard,” Mr. McNulty stated.
The band was politically outspoken and aligned with the countercultural left, supporting the anti-Vietnam War motion and protests towards racism.
Musically, MC5 was often known as one of many forefathers of punk rock, beginning with the breakout 1969 stay album, “Kick Out the Jams.”
Born Dennis Tomich in Detroit on Sept. 7, 1948, Mr. Thompson’s loss of life 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 Hall of Fame induction have been introduced.
In his last years, Mr. Thompson fashioned an surprising father-son relationship with Mr. McNulty, 55, who stated he used ancestral analysis to trace down his organic mother and father after being adopted at start. Mr. McNulty met Mr. Thompson, his organic father, in late 2022.
In addition to his son, Mr. Thompson is survived by his sister, Donna, Mr. McNulty stated.
