"Goodbye, Old Friend": Gang of Four mourn bassist Dave Allen’s death at 69

Dave Allen has passed away at the age of 69. He was a bassist in the post-punk band Gang of Four from 1977 to 1981. Then he rejoined the band in 2004 and stayed until 2008, according to Mirror.

He reportedly co-founded the British Rock group Shriekback in 1981. His former bandmate and drummer Hugh Burnham confirmed his death on Instagram, stating that he died on April 5, 2025, at his home. He mentioned that he had been suffering from “early-onset of mixed dementia for some years.” The band posted a tribute for their friend and wrote,

“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 added,

“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," he continued.

“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.”

Fans and fellow musicians of Allen have paid their condolences to the guitarist on social media.

Read more: Remembering the musicians who passed away in 2025 (so far)

---

Netizens pay their tribute to Dave Allen as Gang of Four announces his death

Following the announcement of his demise, Dave Allen’s fans immediately took to the comments section to pay their tributes while celebrating his contribution to the music industry.

“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,” wrote David Pajo on Instagram.

“I am so sad and so sorry to hear this. Heartbroken for you, and sending much love to you all,” a user wrote.

“So very sorry to hear this. Was fortunate enough to meet him about a decade ago and hang out a bit. One of my favorite bass players and lovely human,” another person said.

“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,” a fan added.

“One of my heroes. I learned how to play bass better, to groove and syncopate, to put melodic flourishes in the right places from him. Rest in power,” someone commented.

“Absolute legend. Allen laid down some of the most iconic, memorable, and funky basslines in post-punk history. Very sad loss. May he rest in peace,” a user noted.

Allen was born in Cumbria, England, in 1955. He founded the band Gang of Four with Hugo Burnham, Andy Gill and Jon King in 1977, his IMDb page stated. He left the band in 1981 to form Shriekback with Barry Andrews. Its music appeared in films like Manhunter (1986), Band of the Hand (1986) and Free Enterprise (1998).

---

According to a report in Consequence, during his time with Gang of Four, he appeared on their first two albums, Entertainment! and Solid Gold.