The internet mourned today as we lost another musical legend. Rock icon Dave Allen has died at the age of 69 after suffering a major health decline. Now, his former band mates are speaking out.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Rock Icon Dave Allen Dies at Age 69
" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)">Dave Allen played bass guitar in the British post-punk band Gang of Four. Additionally, he later went on to become the founder of the group, Shriekback. However while he used to break headlines for all things musical, his name is featured in headlines now for a far more daunting reason.
The bassist has passed away at age 69. One of his former bandmates from Gang of Four, Hugo Burnham, has spoken out about his passing. He shared the news with the world on social media, on Sunday, April 6. On the Gang of Four official Instagram page, Burnham wrote the following.
"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." From there, he dove into some of the health challenges that Allen had been struggling with.
"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." Additionally, he shares that Dave Allen passed surrounded by his family. Before his passing, Hugo and another band mate got the chance to see Dave Allen one last time before he died.
He wrote, "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."
The Internet Reacts
Once the news that Dave Allen died spread across the internet, people reacted to the passing of the icon with immense sadness. Commenters flooded the comment section of the post. Here were some of their responses.
"Incredibly sad news. Dave was the OG master of some of the most iconic bass lines in music history."
"The bass lines he wrote, both as a young man and later in life, were and are didactic for bassists of my generation and ever onward. Truly a hero. Very sorry for your loss. ?."
"The saying "Don't meet your heroes" was disproven by this man for me. He was kind, thoughtful, engaging and genuine from day one with me. As a lowly record label grunt, I always expected the worst from artists. He was, rather, the best."
