Mark Volman, the singer and co-founder of the Sixties pop-rock group the Turtles, best known for their 1967 hit “Happy Together,” died Friday, Sept. 5. He was 78. Volman was born April 19, 1947, in Los Angeles. (Rolling Stone report)
Reps for Volman confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, saying he died in Nashville after a “brief, unexpected illness.” Volman was also battling Lewy body dementia, which he was diagnosed with in 2020. However, he continued to tour and did not publicly reveal his diagnosis until 2023.
For much of his career, Volman worked closely with his friend Howard Kaylan, another co-founder of the Turtles and the band’s lead vocalist. After the Turtles disbanded, Volman and Kaylan linked up with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, where they began to perform under the name Flo and Eddie. (Volman was “Flo,” which was short for “The Phlorescent Leech.”)
Along with their work with Zappa, Flo and Eddie released numerous albums of their own and scored a handful of films and TV shows. They also provided backing vocals for some of the biggest artists of the Seventies and Eighties, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, T.Rex, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, Stephen Stills, David Cassidy, Ray Manzarek, and Roger McGuinn.
The Turtles’ founding member Mark Volman, openined up for the first time about his diagnosis with Lewy body dementia in an exclusive story in June 14, 2023 issue of PEOPLE. The “Happy Together” singer learned he had the progressive neurological disorder in 2020 after experiencing hallucinations, tremors and struggles with concentration. But with a new book out and a tour, Volman is continuing to live a full life despite the devastating disease, the same illness that Ted Turner and Robin Williams were diagnosed with.
