According to Stereogum, Wayne Kramer, the founding guitarist and vocalist for the Detroit-based hard rock band MC5 has passed away at the age of 75. The news was shared via the artist’s Instagram page. His cause of death has since been revealed as pancreatic cancer.
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Kramer had just celebrated his 75th birthday with the grand opening of the Community Arts Programming and Outreach Center last April. The event boasted performances from Tom Morello, Jason Heath and The Greedy Souls and Ozomatli’s Raul Pacheco.
In 2022, Kramer had announced MC5’s first new album, entitled Heavy Lifting, in more than 50 years. The lead single and title track featured Tom Morello.
The band released their debut album Kick Out The Jams in 1969 following up with their first studio album Back In The USA in 1970 and the subsequent sophomore release High Time which arrived in 1971.
Photo Credit: Conny Chavez