The wife of Michael Davis, the bass player in influential late 1960s rock band MC5, says the musician has died of liver failure. He was 68.

Angela Davis said Saturday her husband died at Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California on Friday afternoon after being in the hospital almost a month battling liver disease.

Although Davis was not actually the MC5's original bass player, he replaced original bassist Pat Burrows early on in the band's development, and played on all of the band's albums. The politically charged and notoriously chaotic band only lasted for about eight years in their original incarnation, but their music has continued to influence multiple generations of musicians. In 1972, Davis was dismissed from the group due to substance abuse issues; the group disbanded not long after.

Davis spent some time in jail on a drug charge. Upon his release, he joined punk group Destroy All Monsters, playing with them for seven years. He also played with Blood Orange and Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios.

In 2003, the surviving members of MC5 -- Davis, guitarist Wayne Kramer, and drummer Dennis Thompson -- reunited, with various musicians taking on the role of vocalist. In 2004, they embarked upon a world tour playing under the name DKT/MC5. In 2005, their new lineup stabilized, with Handsome Dick Manitoba of New York punk band The Dictators handling lead vocal duties.

In 2006, following a motorcycle accident in which Davis injured his back, he and his wife founded the Music is Revolution Foundation, which supports music education programs in public schools. He also joined garage rock group The Lords of Altamont for a time, playing on their album 'The Altamont Sin.'

Davis is survived by his wife, their three sons and a daughter from a previous marriage.

Über Röck offers its condolences to all family, friends and fans of Michael - R.I.P.