Dennis Thompson, drummer and last remaining member of the MC5, has died at the age of 75

He brought his hard-hitting style to the band, which helped lay the foundation for American punk rock and should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dennis Thompson, the drummer whose thunderous and hard-hitting style became the foundation of the proto-punk sound of the loud, outspoken and highly influential Detroit rock band MC5, died Thursday in Taylor, Michigan. He was 75.

According to his son, Chris McNulty, he died at a rehabilitation center while recovering from a recent heart attack.

Mr. Thompson was the last surviving member of the MC5, a band that was known for its political outspokenness and affiliation with the countercultural left; it actively supported the movement against the Vietnam War and protests against racism. In October, the MC5 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Technically, they will receive a "musicianship award" rather than entering the Hall in the "performer" category).

The band is also considered one of the progenitors of punk rock and first gained attention with their 1969 live album, Kick Out the Jams. The title song of the album became the most famous song of the album, and has been sung by Henry Rollins and the Bad Brains, the Presidents of the United States of America and Rage Against the Machine.

Mr. Thompson was just 17 years old when he joined the MC5 (the name is short for Motor City Five) in 1966. His intense, ferocious playing style earned him the nickname Machine Gun from his bandmates. He said he played that way because, in the early days, the band couldn't afford to hook up a microphone to his drum kit.

"The amps were turned up to 10, so he had to hit the drums as hard as he could to be heard", Mr. McNulty says.