Gang Of Four Bassist Dave Allen Passes Away, Aged 69

Dave Allen, the bassist from the influential English post-punk band Gang Of Four, has passed away. He was 69.

Allen’s death was confirmed in a post shared by the band on social media on Sunday (6 April). In the post, drummer Hugh Burnham noted that his bandmate had been living with early-onset dementia for years.

The post reads:

It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning. He was at home with his family.

Dave had endured the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them.

Jon and I [Hugo] went to see him and spent a lovely afternoon with him and the family. We talked and laughed for hours, sharing rich and vivid memories of good times together. Adventures, careers in music, raising families, our interwoven lives spanning half a century. We’ve been so very lucky to have had the Ace of Bass in our lives.

We know that Dave would have wanted nothing more than to step onstage with us again in Portland on our farewell US tour. But it’s now a bridge too far. Goodbye, Old Friend.

The original line-up of Gang Of Four comprised singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, Allen, and Burnham. The band formed in Leeds in 1976 and, to date, have released nine albums.

In 1981, Allen left the band to form Shriekback. He later founded World Domination Recordings, was the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for The Elastic Purejoy, and played the bass in Low Pop Suicide.

He also founded the band King Swamp and worked in other industry positions: director of Consumer Digital Audio Services at Intel, president of the entertainment division of Overland Agency, founder of the digital strategy firm Fight, and running the independent record label Pampelmoose. In 2014, he joined Beats Music and stayed after Apple acquired the company.

In 2004, Allen re-joined Gang Of Four upon their reunion, playing on the 2005 album Returning The Gift before leaving the band again in 2008.

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