Nik Turner dies: Hawkwind saxophonist/flautist turned 82

Nik Turner, a saxophonist/flutist who was part of several incarnations of space rockers Hawkwind, has died aged 82. No reason was given, but his death was confirmed on his official Facebook page.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Nik Turner – The Mighty Thunder Rider, who passed away peacefully at home on Thursday evening,” the report said. “He moved into the next phase of his cosmic journey guided by the love of his family, friends and fans. Watch this area for its arrangements.

Hawkwind once played Lemmy Kilmister, who formed Motörhead after leaving the band.

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

Turner was a roadie for Hawkwind when the band formed in 1969, but became an official member later that year. He stayed with the group until 1976 and left shortly after Lemmy. Between 1982 and 1984 he returned to Hawkwind.

Between these stints he formed Nik Turner’s Sphynx with members of Gong and Hwkwind and later headed the Inner City Unit.

During his time with Hawkwind, their song “Silver Machine” entered the UK Singles Chart in 1972 and stayed at number three for 22 weeks. Hawkwind had another minor hit in 1973 with “Urban Guerrilla”, which peaked at number 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 an icon of Hawkwind and wrote some of its most popular songs, including “Brainstorm” and “Master of the Universe”.“.

His later bands included Nik Turner’s Fantastic All Stars in the late 1980s and Hawkwind’s offshoot Space Ritual in the 2000s. He also briefly managed Nik Turner’s Hawkwind and released music through 2015’s Space Fusion Odyssey.

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

No information on survivors was initially available.