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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteBrit Turner, the founding drummer of Atlanta Southern-rock band Blackberry Smoke, died on March 3, 2024, at age 57. The band said Turner had battled glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, since his diagnosis in fall 2022. His death came just over two weeks after the release of Be Right Here, the Blackberry Smoke album on which he played drums and what became his final studio-era recording with the band.
Blackberry Smoke announced Turner’s death in early March 2024. In its tribute, the band called him its “True North,” a description that reflected his importance to the group after more than two decades behind the drum kit. A band publicist confirmed the death to the Los Angeles Times.
Who was Brit Turner?
Turner was a founding member and longtime drummer of Blackberry Smoke, the Atlanta-based band known for combining Southern rock with country-rock, blues-rock, Americana and roots-rock. He co-founded the group in 2000 with his brother Richard Turner, vocalist and guitarist Charlie Starr, Paul Jackson and Brandon Still.
For more than 20 years, Brit Turner supplied the rhythmic foundation for Blackberry Smoke’s recordings and concerts. His role was not limited to keeping time: as one of the band’s founders, he helped shape its identity from its earliest Atlanta years through its rise to international touring and chart success.
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One of the band’s major career milestones came with Holding All the Roses in 2015. Obituary reporting described the album as the first independently released album to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart. That achievement is best understood as a reported chart milestone rather than a separately audited finding in this article.
Turner’s death and glioblastoma diagnosis
Reports on Turner’s health describe a difficult timeline beginning with a heart attack at his Atlanta home in August 2022. Later that year, an MRI revealed a brain tumor, and he was diagnosed with glioblastoma. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor in November 2022.
The band and major-news reports describe his death as following his battle with glioblastoma. Because the reviewed reporting does not document a more specific medical mechanism, the accurate wording is that Turner died after battling glioblastoma or died following a battle with brain cancer.
Turner continued to work with Blackberry Smoke for a period after his diagnosis. He remained involved in the recording and release cycle surrounding Be Right Here. In late 2023, the band announced that he would not be able to participate in its 2024 touring dates, with Kent Aberle reported as the replacement drummer. Accounts differ on the precise point at which Turner stopped touring, so it is more accurate to describe this as a reported change to the band’s 2024 touring plans than to assign a definitive final performance date without additional documentation.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesBe Right Here became Turner’s final Blackberry Smoke album
Blackberry Smoke released Be Right Here on February 16, 2024, through 3 Legged Records and Thirty Tigers. Turner died on March 3, only 16 days later. The album therefore occupies a particularly significant place in his recorded legacy: it was released while he was still alive, but it became the last Blackberry Smoke studio-era album associated with his career.
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The official album announcement identifies Turner as the drummer and says the record was made in late 2022 and early 2023 at Nashville’s RCA Studio A and producer Dave Cobb’s Georgia Mae studio in Savannah. That schedule overlapped the period of his diagnosis and treatment. It would be inaccurate to describe the entire album as having been recorded before his diagnosis.
Produced by Dave Cobb, the album features Charlie Starr, Richard Turner, Brit Turner, Paul Jackson, Brandon Still, Preston Holcomb and Benji Shanks. Apple Music lists it as a 10-song release running approximately 40 minutes.
Readers who want to hear the record in a physical format can look for the Blackberry Smoke Be Right Here CD. Amazon’s artist listings identify a CD edition and also indicate vinyl availability; stock, formats and prices can change by location and over time. The album is a music-listening and memorial-collection option, not a Turner-specific piece of merchandise.
A family experience became a lasting cancer-fundraising effort
Turner was married to Shannon Sorrells Turner and had a daughter, Lana Jean Turner, according to the Los Angeles Times. His family had previously experienced a serious childhood-cancer crisis: CURE Childhood Cancer reports that Lana was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma in late 2009, when she was three years old. She entered remission in 2011 after treatment.
That experience helped inspire Turner and Blackberry Smoke to use the band’s growing public profile for childhood-cancer fundraising. CURE says the musician and band raised and donated more than $700,000 to childhood-cancer organizations. The amount should be attributed to CURE’s account rather than presented as an independently audited total.
CURE Childhood Cancer established the Brit Turner Family Fund in his memory. According to the organization, the fund supports research initiatives as well as programs that provide support to children with cancer and their families. Readers who want to learn more about the fund or support childhood-cancer research in Brit Turner’s memory should consult CURE Childhood Cancer’s official information; any donation destination should be kept separate from commercial product recommendations.
Turner’s place in Blackberry Smoke’s story
Turner’s significance to Blackberry Smoke rests on several connected parts of his life. He was a founding architect of the band, a drummer who remained with it through more than two decades of recording and touring, and a musician who continued contributing during an aggressive cancer diagnosis. He was also a prominent advocate for childhood-cancer causes shaped by his family’s experience.
His death did not erase the collaborative nature of Blackberry Smoke’s music. The band’s sound was built by its full lineup and many longtime collaborators. But Turner’s position at the drum kit, from the group’s formation in 2000 through Be Right Here, made him one of the central musical figures in its history.
Listeners discovering his work after his death may begin with Be Right Here and then explore the band’s wider catalog, including earlier albums such as The Whippoorwill and the group’s live recordings. Those releases provide broader context for Turner’s career rather than serving as Turner solo projects or dedicated memorial products.
What is known about his final years
- August 2022: Reports describe Turner suffering a heart attack at his Atlanta home.
- Fall 2022: An MRI identified a brain tumor, followed by a glioblastoma diagnosis.
- November 2022: He underwent surgery to remove the tumor.
- Late 2022–early 2023: Blackberry Smoke recorded Be Right Here at RCA Studio A and Georgia Mae studio.
- Late 2023: The band announced that Turner would be unable to participate in its 2024 touring dates; Kent Aberle was reported as the replacement drummer.
- February 16, 2024: Be Right Here was released.
- March 3, 2024: Turner died at age 57 after battling glioblastoma.
Sources and wording note
The account of Turner’s death and the band’s “True North” tribute comes from Blackberry Smoke’s official statements and reporting by the Los Angeles Times. Details about his diagnosis, surgery and touring situation were reported by major music-news outlets, including NME. The album’s release details and personnel come from the band’s official announcement, with Apple Music providing the listed track count and approximate running time. CURE Childhood Cancer is the source for the family-fundraising history and the Brit Turner Family Fund.
Turner was 57 when he died. This article uses March 3, 2024 as the date of death; March 4 and March 5 dates appearing in some coverage refer to announcements or publication dates, not necessarily the date he died.
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When did Brit Turner die?
Brit Turner died on March 3, 2024, at age 57. Blackberry Smoke announced his death in early March and said he had battled glioblastoma.
What was Brit Turner’s role in Blackberry Smoke?
Turner was the band’s founding drummer. He co-founded Blackberry Smoke in Atlanta in 2000 with his brother Richard Turner, Charlie Starr, Paul Jackson and Brandon Still, and remained with the group for more than two decades.
What was Brit Turner’s final Blackberry Smoke album?
Be Right Here, released on February 16, 2024, was Turner’s final Blackberry Smoke studio-era album. The band recorded it in late 2022 and early 2023, and the official announcement identifies Turner as the drummer.
What is the Brit Turner Family Fund?
The Brit Turner Family Fund is a CURE Childhood Cancer fund created in Turner’s memory. CURE says it supports childhood-cancer research and patient-and-family support programs.
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Brit Turner was more than Blackberry Smoke’s drummer: he was a founding member who helped define the band’s sound and identity for more than 20 years. His death on March 3, 2024, followed a battle with glioblastoma and came shortly after the release of Be Right Here. Through his music and the childhood-cancer fundraising connected to his family, his legacy continues beyond the stage.
