Pere Ubu’s David Thomas Has Died – clashmusic.com

Pere Ubu co-founder David Thomas has died.
The news was confirmed on the band’s social media channels with an official statement; David Thomas died with his family by his side, after a long illness. He was 71 years old.
The band emerged from the ashes of seminal proto-punk band Rocket From The Tombs, part of a nexus of musicians in Cleveland, Ohio in the mid 70s. Devoutly left-field, Pere Ubu’s heavy duty crunch saw them aligned to punk, and cited as a post-punk influence, but in truth the group ploughed their own furrow.
Early albums such as ‘The Modern Dance’ and ‘Dub Housing’ became key touchstones for a new generation of musicians, songwriting littered with the cadence of possibility.
A partial hiatus in the early 80s was broken by 1988’s ‘The Tenement Year’, with the 90s bringing a slew of reinvigorated releases.
Latterly settling in Brighton, David Thomas remained core to Pere Ubu’s multi-faceted adventures. The Millennium saw the band reach a new audience, albums such as 2014’s ‘Carnival Of Souls’ illustrating the breadth of their creativity.
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Rest in power, David Thomas. Find Pere Ubu’s official statement below:
David Lynn Thomas, lead singer of Pere Ubu, Rocket From The Tombs and multiple solo projex, has died after a long illness.
On Wednesday, April 23 2025, he died in his home town of Brighton & Hove, with his wife and youngest step-daughter by his side. MC5 were playing on the radio. He will ultimately be returned to his home, the farm in Pennsylvania, where he insisted he was to be “thrown in the barn.”
David Thomas and his band have been recording a new album. He knew it was to be his last. We will endeavour to continue with mixing and finalising the new album so that his last music is available to all. Aside from that, he left instruction that the work should continue to catalog all the tapes from live shows via the official bandcamp page. His autobiography was nearly completed and we will finish that for him. Pere Ubu’s Patreon will continue as a community, run by communex.
We’ll leave you with his own words, which sums up who he was better than we can –
“My name is David Fucking Thomas… and I’m the lead singer of the best fucking rock and roll band in the world.”
(Frigo Documentary)
Long Live Pere Ubu.
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