Who are the members of The Turtles? Mark Volman health issues explored as co-founder passes away at 78

The Turtles’ founding member, Mark Volman, 78, recently died on September 5, 2025. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the vocalist’s representative said that he died from a brief illness. Notably, the artist was dealing with some health problems, like Lewy Body Dementia.

The guitarist even played with another group called The Mothers of Invention. Furthermore, Mark became popular for being one of the oldest members of The Turtles, which delivered hit albums such as Happy Together and Golden Hits.

The Los Angeles, California-based band witnessed many changes in their lineup, with multiple talented musicians joining and contributing to its success. Apart from Mark Volman, several others have performed with them since the ‘60s. The list features many popular names.

Howard Kalyan was one of them, along with Al Nichol and Ron Dante. Many others were active for a brief period, playing only for a year, including Jim Tucker, Chuck Portz, Dom Murray, Chip Douglas, and John Seiter. Other members of the band were Joel Larson, John Barbata, and Jim Pons.

Mark’s attorney, Evan Cohen, expressed his grief on Facebook by recalling Volman’s journey in the musical world for so many years. Evan described Mark as a funny individual who was also a “spirited and inventive performer” at the same time.

“Mark and bandmate Howard Kalyan stepped up and set an example for decades, standing up for the rights of musicians in various legal actions, which had a great impact on the progression of the law in several different areas (including sampling, and the eventual protection of 60s recordings under the Music Modernization Act).”

Mark Volman was battling Lewy Body Dementia: Health problems and more

As mentioned, the Los Angeles, California native had struggled with Lewy Body Dementia since 2020. A report by People magazine around two years ago stated that Volman was being treated by Kristen Pilote, an adult and gerontology acute-care nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Pilote told People magazine at the time that the symptoms of the disease were expected to bring certain changes in Mark Volman’s body function. Mark also recalled the time when the symptoms started to appear, including his appearance in a music business program at Belmont University, where he was facing trouble while giving his speech.

The situation took a different turn at one point when Volman started experiencing hallucinations. Mark said that during one of his performances, he heard a lady claiming that his hand was shaking. Despite dealing with the complications of the disease, Mark mentioned that he decided to stay positive.

“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 stated.

Mark’s wife, Emily, also told People magazine in 2023 that her husband opted for daily exercise to control the symptoms. Apart from that, he also joined boxing classes and circuit training at the YMCA, visiting it every day to get help while walking.

Volman was also using a bus as his means of transportation, and he explained the reason for the same by saying:

“It’s the safest place for me to be. I can’t get lost or hurt.”

Apart from Emily, Mark Volman’s survivors include his daughters, Hallie and Sarina, alongside his brother Phil.