Dennis Thompson, MC5 drummer, dies at 75

He was the last surviving member of the influential Detroit rock band

MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson has died following a heart attack. He was 75 years old.

As reported by the Detroit Free PressThompson died on Wednesday (May 8) at a nursing home in Taylor, Michigan, where he had been rehabbing after a heart attack he suffered in April.

Nicknamed “Machine Gun” due to his fast, hard-hitting drumming style, Thompson was the last surviving member of MC5 to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category this fall.

Thompson was born in the Detroit area and began playing drums at the age of nine. While still in school, he joined a garage band called Bounty Hunters on guitar with his friend and future MC5 bandmate Wayne Kramer.

Kramer founded MC5 in 1963 with fellow guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith. A few years later, Thompson joined the group to complement the classic lineup along with vocalist Rob Tyner and bassist Michael Davis.

Thompson remained with MC5 until their first split in 1972 and played on the group’s only two studio albums, 1970s Back in the USA and 1971s High time.

Although MC5 never achieved mainstream success, it had a huge impact on the Detroit rock scene, paving the way for bands like The Stooges and The White Stripes.

Outside of MC5, Thompson was in charge of LA supergroup The New Order and Australia’s New Race (formed with Ron Asheton of The Stooges and members of Radio Birdman). He also drummed for The Motor City Bad Boys and The Secrets.

From 2003 to 2012, Thompson was in the offshoot band DKT/MC5 along with surviving MC5 members Michael Davis and Wayne Kramer.

Thompson’s death follows the deaths of Kramer in February and MC5 manager John Sinclair last month. She was preceded in death by Tyner in 1991, Smith in 1994 and Davis in 2012.