Allen Blickle, a founding member and former drummer of the progressive metal band Baroness, has died at age 42. Friends of the musician confirmed his death over the weekend, with reports appearing on social media on Saturday, according to Revolver.
John Dyer Baizley, who co-founded Baroness with Blickle in Savannah, Georgia, in 2003, shared an emotional Instagram post on Monday.
“It breaks my heart to have to share the news that my dear friend, creative partner and former bandmate Allen Blickle passed away a few days ago,” Baizley wrote. “I’m still in shock that he’s gone.”
Blickle played an important role in shaping Baroness’s early sound, contributing to its self-released demo and First EP, followed by three full-length albums: 2007’s “Red Album,” 2009’s “Blue Record” and 2012’s double-LP “Yellow & Green,” the report said.
As per the outlet, his tenure with Baroness ended following a bus accident in Europe in the summer of 2012. The crash left Blickle and then-bassist Matt Maggioni with broken vertebrae, while Baizley suffered multiple broken limbs. Blickle departed the band not long after the accident.
In a 2013 interview with The Fader, Blickle stated that he believed the crash was more than just a “near-death experience.”
“It made me rethink a lot in my life and has been the most difficult time I’ve been through thus far,” he said. “It was a horrible memory, but I’m trying not to let it define me or stop me from doing what I love. Let it be and keep moving.”
In recent years, Blickle remained active in the music scene, performing with several groups including ALPACA, A Place to Bury Strangers, and most recently, the Los Angeles-based soul group Romantic Dividends, which released a debut album “Giallo” in May.
A cause of death has not been revealed.
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