Fela Anikulapo- Kuti’s renowned drummer, Allen dies at 79

The co-founder of afrobeat alongside late Fela Anikulapo- Kuti , who also double as former musical Director, Tony Allen is dead, but the cause of death yet to be known as at the time of filing this report on Friday evening.

Penpushing reports that,  the manager of the renowned drummer in the Fela Anikulapo- Kuti’s famous band, Africa 70, Erick Trosset said he died in Paris on Thursday at age 79,explaining that the death was  not related to coronavirus complications.

“We don’t know the exact cause of death. He was in great shape, it was quite sudden. I spoke to him at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), then two hours later he was sick and taken to Pompidou hospital where he died”,Trosset said

Penpushing further reports that, the deceased collaborated with a number of artists during his long music career, and was the drummer in The Good, the Bad & the Queen, with Damon Albarn, Paul Simenon and Simon Tong.

Th late talented drummer  first met Fela in 1964 and the duo  quickly forged a friendship, thereafter  embarked  on record of dozens of albums in Africa ’70, including Gentleman and Zombie.

Penpushing also reports that,amid reported rifts with the band leader over royalties, Allen  left the band in 1979, and Fela was said to have hired four separate drummers to fill the void, and Allen emigrated to London in 1984 from where he later moved to Paris.

The deceased in 2013, released an autobiography named “Tony Allen: Master Drummer of Afrobeat” which details his career and life story, and has it that he was born in Lagos in 1940 and by 18, he had taught himself how to play drums by listening to American jazz drummers, Art Blakey and Max Roach.