Grande Ballroom image by Norm Lye.
Vale Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, who was Last Man Standing from the MC5 until today. “MGT” passed away peacfully in hospital in Detroit where he had been rehabilitating following a heart attack in April. He was aged 75.
The Detroit Free Press reported earlier today that he was still at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital during his initial recovery when he heard that the MC5 was headed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 21.
According to Becky Tyner, widow of MC5 vocalist Rob Tyner, his reaction was: "It's about fucking time!"
Thompson was preceded in death by singer Rob Tyner, guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis and guitarist Wayne Kramer. Former band mentor and manager, John Sinclair, died on April 2.
As well as being the powerhouse behind the Five, Thompson notably drummed for The New Order, New Race, Sirius Trixon and the Motor City Bad Boys and DKT-MC5, the band built around him, Davis and Kramer.
Dennis Thompson is survived by a son, Chris McNulty, who posted on Facebook a few hours ago:
As many of you already know, Dennis Thompson passed away peacefully this morning. Dennis was my biological father whom I had finally found in late 2022 through Ancestry. I absolutely cherished the times we spent together.....countless hours of just rapping about music, life, sports, and the state of the world. I will be forever grateful that I (along with my wife Becky) got to spend time with him and get to know him, I am deeply saddened by his passing and will miss him very much. Although I do get a big smile on my face when I picture Dennis at the Pearly Gates, cat calling St. Peter....."Kick Out The Jams or get off the stage." I love you Dennis.....Gotta Keep Movin'.
