Mark Volman, Singer with the Turtles, Zappa and Flo & Eddie, Dies
by Greg Brodsky
Mark Volman (at l.) with Howard Kaylan performing with the Turtles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.
Mark Volman, who with fellow frontman Howard Kaylan formed the backbone of the popular ’60s music group the Turtles, died today (Sept. 5, 2025) at age 78, in Nashville, Tenn. The news was confirmed by Ron Dante, who sings the Turtles’ songs on the popular “Happy Together” tour. [As recently as the 2024 edition of the tour, Dante and Volman shared the vocals.]. Published reports by reliable sources attribute Volman’s death to a “brief, sudden illness,” although, in 2023, Volman revealed that he was suffering from a progressive neurological disorder known as Lewy body dementia (LBD).
“My dearest friend Mark Volman has passed away,” Dante wrote on Facebook. “My heart is broken. RIP Mark. You will not be forgotten.”
Another veteran of the “Happy Together” tour, Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, wrote, “Mark Volman and I met in 1969 and became friends. We lived just a couple of doors down from each other for several years and would meet on walks and I just grew to love the man.
“Three Dog night opened for The Turtles, The Turtles opened for us, and out careers were intertwined for decades.
“The Turtles are one of the best groups in rock, featuring one of the greatest singers of all time in Howard Kaylan along with the harmonies, humor, and vibrant personality of Mark Volman.”
Volman shared the news of his illness in an interview with People on the eve of the publication of his autobiography. Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures With The Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More, written with John Cody, was published on June 20, 2023. The book was timed to coincide with the 2023 edition of the “Happy Together” tour of ’60s hitmakers—named after the Turtles’ 1967 chart-topping single—in which Volman regularly performed before bowing out of this year’s edition. Kaylan had retired from the tour in 2018 due to his own health issues.
From the 2023 People feature: Volman had been experiencing hallucinations, tremors and struggles with concentration for several years but he wasn’t diagnosed until 2020. The progressive brain disorder is the second-most common form of degenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s. Actor Robin Williams also suffered from LBD for years before taking his own life in 2014.
Volman began to notice his symptoms in 2018, while teaching a music business program at Belmont University in Nashville. “I remember slurring, and I wasn’t sure what was going on,” he told People. “My brain wandered. I’d go off track. It made no sense.”
The Turtles emerged in 1965 out of an instrumental surf music band, initially called the Nightriders and then the Crossfires. After earning their first hit as the Turtles with 1965’s Bob Dylan cover “It Ain’t Me Babe,” the group went on to achieve enormous pop success with such singles as “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “Elenore,” “You Showed Me” and the #1 1967 hit “Happy Together.”
When the Turtles called it quits in 1970, Kaylan and Volman joined Zappa’s band the Mothers of Invention as Flo & Eddie (originally the Phlorescent Leech and Eddie, nicknames for Volman and Kaylan, respectively), due to contractual reasons. They continued to perform live and on recordings as a duo.
Noted Variety, “In his late forties, Volman returned to school to complete his Bachelors Degree at Loyola Marymount University. He graduated in 1997 and then completed an M.F.A. in 1999. He then began teaching music business courses at the college level, most consistently at Belmont University in Nashville.”
On the 2023 edition of the “Happy Together” tour, Volman fronted the Turtles with singer Ron Dante, who had no connection with the original group.
“Mark is one of the most indomitable yet gentle spirits I’ve ever met,” noted Alice Cooper in his foreword to Volman’s autobiography. “He will always be one of my favorite artists I’ve ever worked with. And someday, when I grow up, I want to be just like him.”
The People article noted, “Over time, the effects of the disease will progress into a ‘slow decline that will eventually interfere with his ability to function,'” said Kristen Pilote, who specializes in cognitive neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Mark Randall Volman was born April 19, 1947, in Los Angeles, and was raised in the suburban town of Westchester, Calif., where he met Kaylan at the local high school. Volman joined Kaylan’s surf band, for which they both played saxophone and which ultimately became the Turtles. A true son of Southern California, Volman went from topping the charts with the Turtles to earning underground credibility with Zappa. After leaving Zappa’s outfit, the pair continued as Flo & Eddie; Volman and his longtime singing partner Kaylan were the “not-so-secret ingredient” on many other artists’ records, taking Bruce Springsteen into the Top 10 for the very first time with the single “Hungry Heart” and singing on numerous recordings by T. Rex, including “Bang a Gong (Get It On).” Then came the Ramones, U2, Blondie, Duran Duran and so many more; their list of credits is long and varied.
Tony Visconti, who produced many of those T. Rex sides, wrote, “Mark and Howard could have been stand up comics. They turned our T.Rex sessions into hysterical bouts of laughter. Their beautifully blended voices were a big part of the sound.”
Fellow “Happy Together” tour members, The Cowsills, wrote, “What can we say about our ‘Bossy’ and friend? Thank you, ‘Bossy,’ for being in our lives. We are sending positive thoughts and virtual hugs to Howard Kaylan, our ‘Happy Together’ tour family, the Volman family, and all who are feeling this loss.”
Micky Dolenz was also among those paying tribute to his friend.
Sad to hear about the passing of my friend Mark Volman. I’ll always remember his humor & voice with the Turtles.
Here’s a 70s photo from a tennis charity event — me, Olivia Newton-John, Keith Moon, and Mark. Sending love and condolences to Mark’s family, friends, and fans. pic.twitter.com/N6GDvY3wYZ
— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) September 5, 2025
Volman’s autobiography is available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here. Several titles in the Turtles’ catalog are available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.
The Doobie Brothers collectively posted a tribute: “[Mark] was such a good person. Always a positive word for everyone anytime we spoke with him. A wonderfully talented singer, writer, performer and mentor. He was loved by so many and we will miss him very much. Thank you, Mark, for making this a better world for all of us!”
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3 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationThis is so sad. I just saw the “Happy Together” show a week and a half ago in St. Paul. Ron Dante wished his friend a full recovery. Now that will never happen, sadly. On another note, I saw Volman (and Kaylan) with the Turtles back in 1966 at the Orlando Youth Center. Volman was memorable because of his hair and the fact that he didn’t play an instrument. He just wandered around with a tambourine and sang harmonies. He always seemed like a good guy. May he rest in peace.
Our New Year’s Eve routine, back around 1990, was having dinner at Monte’s, on MacDougal Street in NYC, then walking a couple blocks to The Bottom Line to see The Turtles/ Flo & Eddie, do their show. I loved those guys! I also remember them doing a stint as DJs on (I think it was) K-Rock, in NYC. As they say, all good things must come to an end.
I am sure I am not alone in that I became aware of Bob Dylan because of the Turtles powerful cover of It Ain’t Me Babe. I was actually shocked when I heard Dylan’s lighthearted, original version. Thank you Mark Volman for your many years of inspirational music. Rest in Peace.