Papa Dee Allen (Thomas Sylvester Allen, 18th July 1931, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A – 30th August 1988, Solano County, California, U.S.A). . He was a composer and actor, known for Colors (1988), A Knight’s Tale (2001) and Barb Wire (1996).

He was a percussionist and member of War; who are best remembered for the Seventies hits, ‘Low Rider’, ‘The Cisco Kid’, ‘The World Is A Ghetto’ and ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’, however, the group’s roots were originally conceived a decade earlier. ‘Papa’ Dee Allen died of a heart attack which struck him onstage in 1988. Lee Oskar said of him ‘Papa Dee Allen does have one of my harmonicas in his grave. He died of a brain haemorrhage on stage. I dropped the last harp I used with him on stage into his grave.