Dave Allen, Gang of Four breathes his last at 69

Dave Allen, former bassist and one of the original members of Gang of Four, passed away at the age of 69.

The rock star skyrocketed to fame in the late 1970s and now the current lineup that consists of musicians Jon King, Hugo Burnham, Gail Greenwood and Ted Leo, announced his death via social media.

Taking to Instagram, the bad members 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 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,” they further explained.

The Gang of Four continued, “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,” they further mentioned.

Dave’s demise comes amid plans of Gang of Four to execute their farewell tour in the US and have their former bassist join them on stage as soon as they reached his town.

“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,” the post concluded.