Hawkwind Co-founder And Saxophonist Nik Turner Has Died At The Age Of 82

Posted by Rohan Kumar November 13, 2022

Nik Turner, co-founder of the British space-rock band Hawkwind, has died at the age of 82.

“We Are Deeply Saddened To Announce The Passing Of Nik Turner, The Mighty Thunder Rider, Who Passed Away Peacefully At Home On Thursday Evening,” a statement on the saxophonist’s Facebook page said.

“He Has Progressed To The Next Stage Of His Cosmic Journey, Guided By The Love Of His Family, Friends, And Fans.” “Keep an eye out for his arrangements.”

Turner was a founding member of Hawkwind, along with Dave Brock, John Harrison, Terry Ollis, and Mick Slattery, who formed the band in 1969.

He was a member of the band for seven years, including time with Lemmy, who joined in 1971 and later became the frontman for Motörhead. Turner left the band in 1976 but returned in 1982 and played with them for another two years.

Hawkwind are best known for the song Silver Machine, which peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 1972, as well as Urban Guerrilla and Shot Down In The Night.

Motörhead’s official Twitter account posted: “We lost Lemmy’s old bandmate Nik Turner today.” Play some Hawkwind, nice and loud! “Let’s go brainstorm!”

Turner travelled to Egypt and recorded flute music inside the pyramids between his two stints with Hawkwind. The recordings gave rise to the band Sphynx, which in 1978 released the album Xitintoday.

Turner also recorded songs as Inner City Unit, Nik Turner’s Fantastic All Stars, and Space Ritual.

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