Rapper, actor, and member of the hip-hop group Groove B. Chill, Gene “Groove” Allen, passed away at the age of sixty-three. According to his family, he died suddenly at home on Wednesday.

House Party (1990), Boomerang (1992), and What’s Love Got to Do With It? (1993) were Allen’s most well-known films. He did voiceover and radio work after his film career.

Before he passed away, Allen, a Bronx native and regarded as a hip-hop pioneer, was promoting the 2025 House Party Immersive Tour and an upcoming EP.

Music industry tributes poured in, from DJ Premier to Eric B. Days before he passed away, Allen posted his final Instagram picture, which featured him singing at a party with the words, “I ain’t playin’.”

The 26th of February would have been his birthday.