He was 75 years old.
Wayne Kramer, the guitarist and co-founder of the American group MC5, considered a precursor of punk rock, died Friday in Los Angeles according to the Associated Press.
He was suffering from pancreatic cancer, one of his friends told the news agency.
Wayne Kramer founded the MC5 (for Motor City Five) in Detroit in 1964 with guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith.
Disappearing in 1972, without having achieved commercial success, the group then acquired the status of a cult group with songs like “Kick Out The Jams” – a committed and incendiary anthem – which influenced numerous punk groups of the late 1970s , but also Rage Against The Machine or the White Stripes.
Only one surviving member
“Brother Wayne Kramer was the best man I ever knew,” Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello paid tribute to him on Instagram on Friday.
“He possessed a unique blend of wisdom and compassion, empathy and conviction.
His band, the MC5, practically invented punk rock music.”
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Following the death of Wayne Kramer, drummer Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson is now the only one of the band's five members still alive.