Influential Guitarist Daevid Allen Passes Away Aged 77

Influential guitarist and founder of legendary UK rock band Gong, Daevid Allen has passed away after a battle with cancer.

At the start of February, Allen posted on the official Gong website, giving an update on his cancer treatment, saying it had spread to his lungs.

“The cancer is now so well established that I have now been given approximately six months to live,” he said.

"So my view has changed: I am not interested in endless surgical operations and in fact it has come as a relief to know that the end is in sight.

“I can only hope that during this journey, I have somehow contributed to the happiness in the lives of a few other fellow humans…I love you and will be with you always.”

Born in Australia in 1938, the eccentric guitar legend helped pioneer prog-rock and the psychedelic movement when he moved to the UK and formed British rock outfit Gong in the ‘60s.

He was forced to return to Australia, where went on to play in numerous other bands, as well as forming the influential Soft Machine.