The Turtles co-founder Mark Volman dies at 78

Mark Volman, the singer and co-founder of The Turtles, who were famed for their 1967 single, Happy Together, passed away.

It was confirmed that he dies at the age of 78 due to a "brief, unexpected illness" as per his representative.

Mark had previously been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2020 but continued to tour and only publicly revealed his diagnosis in 2023.

He told PEOPLE magazine at that time: “I got hit by the knowledge that this was going to create a whole new part of my life. And I said, ‘Okay, whatever’s going to happen will happen, but I’ll go as far as I can.'”

He continued, “The challenges of this world affect everybody, and it’s been kind of fun being on the other side of a challenge like this and saying, ‘I feel good.’ My friends are here. I’m still here. And I want people to connect with me."

Mark entered music while he was still in high school, joining his classmate, Howard Kaylan’s band, The Crossfires who were then ultimately renamed as The Turtles.

The band split in 1970 but Mark continued to work with Howard as the duo Flo + Eddie, touring with Frank Zappa and singing backing vocals for artists including Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran and T. Rex.

Despite the symptoms of his condition, including tremors and hallucinations, Mark continued to perform on the annual Happy Together music tour that he and The Turtles headlined, without Howard, who stepped down due to health issues.