Mark Volman

Mark Volman, the irrepressible singer, guitarist and onstage ringleader who helped propel the Turtles' 1967 smash "Happy Together" and later brought wry humor to the duo Flo & Eddie, died September 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee after what his representative called a brief, unexpected illness. He was 78.

Born Mark Randall Volman on April 19, 1947, in Los Angeles, he grew up in Westchester, California and graduated from Westchester High School before co-founding the band that became the Turtles with classmate Howard Kaylan. The Turtles broke through with a version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe," then racked up hits including "She'd Rather Be With Me," "You Baby," "You Showed Me," "Elenore," and the chart-topping "Happy Together."

When the group split in 1970, Volman and Kaylan reinvented themselves as Flo & Eddie. The stage names were born from their time with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, which they joined while calling themselves The Phlorescent Leech (Volman) and Eddie (Kaylan). They quickly became in-demand collaborators, lending harmonies and personality to records and tours by artists from T. Rex to Bruce Springsteen and Duran Duran. Volman continued to lead the annual Happy Together Tour in recent years, often serving as its genial master of ceremonies.

Beyond the spotlight, Volman eventually returned to school, earning degrees in screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University. He later taught classes on music business and industry, most notably at Belmont University in Nashville, where he coordinated the Entertainment Industry Studies Program and students knew him as "Professor Flo." He gathered a lifetime of road stories in his 2023 memoir "Happy Forever," reflecting on friendships and adventures with fellow musicians across six decades.

Volman disclosed in 2023 that he had been living with Lewy body dementia since 2020, a diagnosis he managed with medication while continuing to perform. "I want the most out of every day," he said then in an interview for People magazine. His death, however, was attributed by his representative to a separate illness.

Fans cherished the joy Volman brought to the stage, punctuated by his trademark curls and technicolor shirts. Whether fronting the Turtles, bantering as Flo & Eddie, or advising young musicians in the classroom, he radiated a generous enthusiasm for music and the community around it.

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)