Rock Musician Dies After ‘Early-Onset of Mixed Dementia’: Dave Allen Was 69

Dave Allen, the original bassist of the British post-punk band Gang of Four, has died at the age of 69.

Allen passed away at his home Saturday morning surrounded by family, his former bandmates Jon King and Hugo Burnham shared in a statement. He had reportedly been battling the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years.

“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,” the statement, written by Burnham, said. “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.”

Hugo said that he and King “went to see him and spent a lovely afternoon with him and the family” prior to his passing.

“We talked and laughed for hours, sharing rich and vivid memories of good times together,” he recalled. “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.”

Allen was part of Gang of Four’s core lineup. The group was founded in in Leeds in Northern England in 1976 by Burnham, King, bass guitarist Dave Wolfson, and guitarist Andy Gill, who passed away in 2020. Allen joined the group that same year, replacing Wolfson on bass after just a few gigs, and played on their debut album, 1979’s Entertainment!, as well as their follow-up, 1981’s Solid Gold.

Following the release of their single “To Hell With Poverty” in 1981, Allen left Gang of Four and founded the band Shriekback with Barry Andrews and singer Carl Marsh. He played with the group until its disbandment in 1988, and later reunited with Gang of Four for the group’s many reunion tours, including Gang of Four’s 2005 Coachella performance.

His passing came just weeks before Gang of Four was set to embark on their farewell tour. His bandmates said, “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.”

Outside of Gang of Four and Shriekback, Allen also performed with Elastic Purejoy, Low Pop Suicide, King Swamp, and Faux Hoax, and founded World Domination Recordings, per Variety.