Nik Turner Dies: Hawkwind Saxophone/Flutist Was 82

Bruce Haring
·2 min read
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Nik Turner, a saxophone/flute player who was part of several incarnations of space-rockers Hawkwind, has died at 82. No cause was given, but his death was confirmed on his official Facebook page.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Nik Turner – The Mighty Thunder Rider, who passed away peacefully at home on Thursday evening,” said the post. “He has moved onto the next phase of his Cosmic Journey, guided by the love of his family, friends and fans. Watch this space for his arrangements.”

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Hawkwind once featured Lemmy Kilmister, who went on to form Motörhead after leaving the group.

The Motörhead account on Twitter also took note of Turner’s passing by tweeting, “We lost Lemmy’s old bandmate Nik Turner today. Play some Hawkwind nice and loud!”

Turner was a roadie for Hawkwind when the group formed in 1969, but became an official member later that year. He stayed with the group until 1976, leaving shortly after Lemmy. He rejoined Hawkwind between 1982 and 1984.

In between those stints, he formed Nik Turner’s Sphynx with members of Gong and Hwkwind, then helmed Inner City Unit.

During his time in Hawkwind, their song “Silver Machine” in 1972 entered the UK singles chart and reached number three, charting for 22 weeks. Hawkwind had another minor chart hit with “Urban Guerilla” in 1973, which rose to No 39.

But it was Turner’s work in the early days of Hawkwind that stood out. Known for his costumes and instrumental skills, he became a symbol of Hawkwind and wrote some of its most popular songs, including “Brainstorm” and “Master of the Universe.“.

His later groups included Nik Turner’s Fantastic All Stars in the late 1980s and Hawkwind offshoot Space Ritual int he 2000s. He also briefly ran Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, and continued releasing music as late as 2015 with “Space Fusion Odyssey.”

His collaborations over the years included Sting, The Doors, Todd Rundgren, Psychic TV, Sham 69, and Mother Gong.

No information on survivors was immediately available.

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