Tony Allen, Afrobeat's Foundational Drummer, Has Died At Age 79
Tony Allen was one of the founders of the deep-grooved Afrobeat style — alongside his musical collaborator, Fela Kuti. The drummer died Wednesday evening in Paris of a heart attack.
Drummer Tony Allen has died at age 79. He is widely hailed as one of the founders of Afrobeat alongside his longtime musical partner Fela Kuti, with whom he played for 15 years.
Allen died Wednesday evening in Paris of a heart attack, his manager, Eric Trosset, told NPR. Trosset that Allen took ill in the afternoon and was taken to the Hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, where he died.
