DENNIS THOMPSON, MC5 Drummer And Last Surviving Original Member, Dead At 75

Founding MC5 drummer Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson died Wednesday, according to The Detroit Free Press. He was 75.

An exact cause of death has not been revealed, but Thompson had reportedly suffered a series of medical issues in recent months, including a heart attack in April.

Draped in red, white and blue, the MC5 were a high-watt onslaught of musicians: guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, Thompson and brain-shattering lead singer Rob Tyner. The Motor City 5 kicked out the jams and politicized every bystander in sight. Their powerful sound was a unique combination of R&B, psychedelia and garage rock with dominant political messages. Invited by Abbie Hoffman to play to the masses of young protestors outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, MC5 were the only band brazen enough to play onstage. They became the soundtrack to a cultural tipping point, played over scenes of tear gas and police brutality.

With proud anti-establishment credentials, the MC5 prefigured much of American punk rock and even influenced heavy metal. After releasing "Kick Out The Jams", the band broke new ground with their second album, "Back In The USA", produced by then-rock critic Jon Landau. The record combined Chuck Berry riffs with lyrics that remain prophetic to this day. Just listen to "High School" and you'll hear the pop-punk sound that was later perfected by the RAMONES. Each album's relentless qualities drive listeners to the brink of sensory overload while remaining rooted in melody and groove.

Thompson's death comes three months after the passing of Kramer. Wayne, also 75, died at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, according to Jason Heath, a close friend and executive director of Kramer's nonprofit Jail Guitar Doors. Heath said the cause of death was pancreatic cancer.

Just weeks ago, it was announced that MC5 will finally be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in the fall.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.

Iggy Pop has said the MC5 belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame "for their contributions to American music and its politics… They were hugely charismatic and influential. Their beliefs and approach had to do with things much larger than music and these things are coming to light more and more today on the world revolutionary stage. There is no band that I know of as dangerous as the MC5."

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