The memorial service for this musical pioneer was held at The Mariner's Church near the Detroit riverfront, which is where Patti and Frederick Dewey Smith were married in 1979. It was attended by all surviving members of the legendary MC5: Wayne Kramer, who came from LA; bassist Michael Davis, who came from Arizona; and drummer Dennis Thompson, still resident in Detroit. Also present were Lenny Kaye and JD Daugherty of the Patti Smith Group; Daugherty spoke at the service and Patti Smith sang "Wonderful World", which she said Fred had often teased her was actually "her song". Many remarked how much the Smith children resemble their parents: Jackson, 12, looks much like his father and has a keen interest in music; Jesse, only 7, looks like her mother.
Although his death was sudden, Fred Smith's health had not been good for quite some time; he was in hospital several days before the end. Yet his family expected him to pull out of it. His official cause of death, mycardial infraction (heart failure) was the same as that of MC5 vocalist Rob Tyner, who also died suddenly at 46, in 1992. The musical tribute mounted for Tyner in February 1992 was the final time that the public saw Smith perform. Speaking to Susan Whitall, music editor of the Detroit News, and former Editor of CREEM magazine, Tyner's widow Elizabeth commented on Fred Smith's kindness to herself and her children at the time of that bereavement.
As far as Sonic Smith's musical accomplishments, friend and rock historian Lenny Kaye made the following comment to Whitall: "One of the things I liked about Fred is that he had a sense of music as pure sound. The MC5 helped broaden the borders of what we consider rock music then and now. I know of no other rock group that covered Pharoah Sanders and the influence of the MC5 is so pervasive today. That whole Nirvana/Pearl Jam axis, they certainly heard the MC5."
Only one cheerful note marked these sad proceedings: Patti Smith's brother Todd told several people present she is thinking of a return to writing and recording.
Michael Lewis is maintaining a web page about this so more info can be assembled.
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