Tony Allen, drummer, Fela Kuti collaborator and celebrated innovator of the Afrobeat genre, has died. He was 79.
Allen died in Paris and the cause of death is not known at the time of publication. “We don’t know the exact cause of death,” his manager Eric Trosset told France 24. “He was in great shape; it was quite sudden. I spoke to him at 1 p.m., then two hours later he was sick and taken to Pompidou hospital where he died.”
Born in Nigeria, the self-taught Allen served as the drummer and musical director of Fela Kuti’s band Africa ’70 in the 1960s and 1970s, which created and perfected the highly influential Afrobeat sound. While in the band, he participated in iconic Afrobeat albums such as 1973’s Gentleman, 1975’s Expensive Shit and 1976’s Zombie.
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“There was no band like the Africa 70,” Fela’s son Femi Kuti once told Rolling Stone. “And there is no drummer like Tony Allen.”
In the 1980s, Allen moved to Europe, settling eventually in Paris after stints in London. He continued to work on Afrobeat projects but also developed the Afrofunk sound that incorporated elements of electronica and hip hop.
In recent years, Allen played alongside Damon Albarn on multiple projects, including with The Good, The Bad & The Queen, as well as Charlotte Gainsbourg, Air, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and others.
A number of musicians who looked up to Allen took to social media to share their grief following the unfortunate news, including Major Lazer, Flea and Sean Ono Lennon.
RIP TONY ALLEN. THE GOAT AMONGST GOATS. DO YOUR RESEARCH. LEGENDS NEVER DIE. THE INVENTOR OF RHYTHM #Afrobeat
— MAJOR LAZER (@MAJORLAZER) April 30, 2020
This story first appeared on Billboard.com.
