Blackberry Smoke Drummer Brit Turner Dead at 57

Originally published by Consequence News

Brit Turner, co-founding member and drummer of the southern rock band Blackberry Smoke, has died at the age of 57 following a battle with brain cancer.

“It is with the deepest sorrow that we inform everyone that our brother Brit Turner has moved on from this life,” Blackberry Smoke said in a statement released on Sunday evening. “If you had the privilege of knowing Brit on any level, you know he was the most caring, empathetic, driven and endearing person one could ever hope to meet. Brit was Blackberry Smoke’s True North, the compass that instituted the ideology that will continue to guide this band.”

Turner was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022 and underwent brain surgery. He continued to tour with the band throughout 2023, but in December, the band announced that he would be absent from their early 2024 tour dates. In his place, Blackberry Smoke tapped drummer Kent Aberle.

Formed in Atlanta in 2000, Blackberry Smoke have released eight albums to date. With their 2015 LP Holding All The Roses, they became the first independently released artist to top the Billboard Country Albums chart. They achieved their second No. 1 album with 2016’s Like an Arrow and also earned top 10 placements with 2021’s You Hear Georgia and 2024’s Be Right Here. Over the years, the band has also toured with the likes of Guns n’ Roses, Zac Brown Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Eric Church.