Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen has died at the age of 69.
The rock star shot to fame in the late 1970s was an original member of the rock band, and the current lineup – which includes Jon King, Hugo Burnham, Gail Greenwood and Ted Leo – took to social media to reveal that he had passed away after a long battle with dementia.
In a post shared on Instagram on Sunday (06.04.25) , the band said: “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.”
Dave initially left Gang of Four in 1981 so he could form Shriekback and went on to set up World Domination Recordings before returning for a final stint from 2004 until 2008.
He later became director of Consumer Digital Audio Services at Intel in Portland, Oregon and was then employed by Apple Music.
Dave’s death comes just as the band is gearing up to launch their farewell tour in the US, and they were going to invite him back up on stage when they reached his town.
The post concluded: “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.”