John Sinclair, the poet and political activist who was a leader in Detroit’s counterculture scene of the 1960s and ’70s, has died. He was 82.⁠ ⁠ Publicist Matt Lee confirmed that Sinclair died at 7:58 a.m. on Tuesday morning at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Heart failure was the official cause of death, but Lee says Sinclair was in poor health in recent months.⁠ ⁠ “It was more complicated than that,” he says, adding, “He was on the ropes for the longest time. He went in with blood poisoning and he bounced back, but then he went under again. But he just couldn’t rally. There were just too many things wrong.”⁠ ⁠ Born in Flint in 1941, Sinclair rose to prominence as a poet known for his radical politics. Throughout his life, he was manager of Detroit rock band MC5 and a founding member of the White Panther Party, plus inspired Ann Arbor's Hash Bash. ⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ Photo credit: Leni Sinclair ⁠ ⁠ #johnsinclair #detroitnews #michigannews #detroitmetrotimes