Atlanta

Co-founder of Atlanta-based country rock band Blackberry Smoke dead at 57

The Top Southern Rock Bands NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 12: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Blackberry Smoke's Brit Turner, Richard Turner, Charlie Starr, Paul Jackson, and Brandon Still attend the Charlie Daniels 2015 Volunteer Jam at Bridgestone Arena on August 12, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Webster Public Relations) (Rick Diamond)

ATLANTA — The founding member of Atlanta-based country rock band Blackberry Smoke has died at age 57, his bandmates announced Sunday night.

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Britt Turner was the band’s drummer. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma in the fall of 2022. Glioblastoma is the same devastating form of brain cancer that took the life of WSB-TV’s own Jovita Moore in 2021.

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“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,” his bandmates wrote. “Brit was Blackberry Smoke’s True North, the compass that instituted the ideology that will continue to guide this band.”

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Turner co-founded Blackberry Smoke alongside his brother, Richard Turner, lead singer Charlie Starr, guitar player Paul Jackson, and keyboardist Brandon Still in 2000.

Blackberry Smoke has released eight studio albums, two of which topped the U.S. country music charts. Another peaked at number one on the Americana charts.

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