Mark Volman, founding member of The Turtles, dead at 78
Mark Volman, best known for being the foundational member of The Turtles, has passed away at 78.
Volman died on September 5th at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, following a brief battle with an unexpected illness. The singer had been known for lending his voice for many of the band’s biggest hits, including ‘Elenore’, ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’, and the iconic ‘Happy Together’.
Though there has been no disclosure of what illness Volman was facing at the time of his death, he had been struggling with various health issues for the past few years. While he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2020, he didn’t talk about his issues until 2023.
After working with The Turtles, Volman eventually moved on to work with Flo and Eddie for the rest of his career with his Turtles bandmate, Howard Kaylan.
Aside from being a touring partner to Frank Zappa, Volman also featured on many other classic hits throughout his career. Outside of his own hits, he also provided backing vocals for Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’, as well as backing vocals for the T Rex hit ‘Bang A Gong (Get It On)’.
Aside from his work in the world of rock and roll, Volman had also been working on music for the younger generation of fans, contributing music to the children’s show Strawberry Shortcake along with Kaylan.
In 2023, Volman put out a memoir regarding his time in the music world called Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures With The Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More. However, the vocalist has continued to be the sole member of The Turtles since 2018, with Kaylan having to bow out of the touring life due to various health concerns.
Since 2010, Volman had been active in working with the Happy Together tours, where he appeared alongside many legacy acts from the 1960s and 1970s, including Mitch Ryder, Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, and Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees. He remained active with the tour until his passing, even performing in the summer of 2025, with Archies vocalist Ron Dante taking over for Kaylan.
Volman is survived by his partner Emily and his two daughters, Hallie and Sarina.
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