‘House Party’ Star and Rapper Dies Suddenly: Gene ‘Groove’ Allen Was 62

The Long Island-born rapper and actor Gene “Groove” Allen died Wednesday at his Maryland home. Best known as a member of rap trio Groove B. Chill and for his roles in the movies What’s Love Got To Do With It? and House Party, he was 62 years old.

Allen, who started rapping with 1980s New York group The Uptown Crew before forming a rap trio with Belal “DJ Belal” Miller and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, only ever released one album—1990’s Starting From Zero. However, the group gained widespread fame and acclaim after their appearance in House Party as friends of rap group Kid ‘n Play. Allen returned with Mitchell the following year to star in House Party 2. There was a reboot in 2023.

Allen next starred in Boomerang with Eddie Murphy, Halle Barry and Chris Rock. He would later appear in the Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got To Do With It? with Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. In his later years, he devoted himself to supporting local communities and fundraising for military veterans as CEO and founder of Groove E. Productions, which often held tours based off of House Party.

As recent as six days ago, he posted an Instagram reel of him performing at a Groove E. Productions event with the caption “2025!!! I aint [sic] playing…”

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Groove’s death came as a “complete shock” to the family, and was the result of a medical emergency. He is survived by his wife and three children.