Pere Ubu founder David Thomas’ health struggles explored as he dies at 71

David Thomas, the frontman of the world-renowned rock group Pere Ubu, has died at the age of 71, following a long battle with several illnesses.

His death was confirmed in a message posted on the band’s Facebook page, which said he had died at his home in Brighton & Hove, England, with his wife and stepdaughter by his side. His cause of death was mentioned as due to "a long illness."

David Thomas had endured severe health issues in recent years, including kidney failure and multiple near-death experiences, subjects he often made jokes about.

"Death is very overrated. It was like being asleep. Once I was brought back by the ambulance crew. My wife said 'Those guys worked like demons on you.' The other time I woke up in ICU with all this stuff attached to me and it turned out I’d died again." He said in an interview with the Guardian.

Thomas' health problems had been a common issue in his later years. He received kidney dialysis three times a week and used a walker, but he said his voice had never been stronger. In a 2020 interview with Under the Radar, he described his delicate state.

"Our situation is that I have kidney failure. My kidneys are dead, I’m essentially a dead man walking if I catch something. I can’t catch corona." David Thomas remarked.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused him to be more careful, therefore, he focused more on live-streamed performances, and even in his late years, Thomas rejected the idea of retirement.

A look into David Thomas’s legacy in the world of rock and roll music

Thomas started Pere Ubu in 1975 in Cleveland, after a previous proto-punk group of his, Rocket From the Tombs, disbanded. Famed for their experimental, avant-garde sound, Pere Ubu never enjoyed mainstream success, but they developed a devoted following and critical acclaim.

According to the Guardian, Rolling Stone declared that rock ’n’ roll “peaked in 1978 with Pere Ubu’s The Modern Dance,” and Thomas was supposedly amused by the statement, but he never let it define him.

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His collaborators extended from post-punk musicians to a pair of unlikely musicians, such as Richard Thompson and producer Hal Willner. In his last months, he was finishing work on a new Pere Ubu album, aware it would likely be his last. The band said it would be polishing and releasing the work after his death, as well as finishing his autobiography.

Even in failing health, David Thomas continued to be productive, releasing fresh music, remastering tapes of past performances, and developing a live version of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in 2022.

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