Mark Volman has passed away!
On Friday, September 5, PEOPLE reported that the co-founder of ‘60s hit rock band The Turtles breathed his last in Nashville at the age of 78.
According to the late American vocalist and guitarist’s representative, he passed away after a “brief, unexpected illness.”
Volman’s lawyer Evan Cohen, in his statement on Facebook, confirmed the Happy Together singer’s death, noting, “I am sorry to report that my long-time friend and client, Mark Volman of The Turtles and Flo & Eddie (and a couple of years in the Mothers of Invention), has died at the age of 78.”
“Mark and bandmate Howard Kaylan stepped up and set an example for decades, standing up for the rights of musicians in various legal actions, which had a great impact on the progression of the law in several different areas (including sampling, and the eventual protection of 60s recordings under the Music Modernization Act),” he added.
Notably, in a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, the late vocalist revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia – a common type of dementia caused by a buildup of proteins in the brain, affecting thinking, memory, and movement.
“I got hit by the knowledge that this was going to create a whole new part of my life. And I said, ‘OK, whatever’s going to happen will happen, but I’ll go as far as I can,’” he noted back then.
Mark Volman co-founded The Turtles – an American rock band based in Los Angeles – in 1965, which achieved several Top 40 hits throughout the latter half of the ‘60s.
Among the band’s top songs are Happy Together, It Ain’t Me Babe, She’d Rather Be with Me, Elenore, and You Showed Me.