Nik Turner of Hawkwind has died at 82

Hawkwind's Nik Turner has died at age 82, according to a post on his Facebook, which reads:

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Nik Turner – The Might Thunder Rider, who passed away peacefully at home on Thursday evening. 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.

The Motorhead account also tweeted, "We lost Lemmy's old bandmate Nik Turner today. Play some Hawkwind nice and loud!"

Nik started out as a roadie for Hawkwind when they formed in 1969, before officially joining the band later that year as a saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist. He remained with them until 1976, parting ways shortly after Lemmy left the group, and rejoined between 1982 and 1984. After his initial departure, he formed his own band Nik Turner's Sphynx with members of Gong and Hawkwind, followed shortly by the formation of another group, Inner City Unit. He later formed Nik Turner's Fantastic All Stars in the late 1980s, and led the Hawkwind offshoot band Space Ritual in the 2000s and Nik Turner's Hawkwind after that. He's also collaborated over the years with a number of other musicians, including Sting, Psychic TV, Sham 69, Mother Gong, and more.

Rest in peace, Nik.

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