Allen Shellenberger (September 15, 1969 – August 13, 2009) was an American drummer who played in the band Lit.

Early life and career

Shellenberger was born to Paul Shellenberger and Connie James. He founded Lit in 1988 in Fullerton, California alongside brothers A. Jay and Jeremy Popoff and bassist Kevin Baldes. Before settling on the name Lit, other names that the band went by were Razzle and Stain. He remained a member of the band until his death in 2009.

Illness and death

Lit announced on May 5, 2008 that Shellenberger was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute confirmed that it was a

malignant glioma A glioma is a type of tumor that starts in the glial cells of the brain or the spine. Gliomas comprise about 30 percent of all brain tumors and central nervous system tumours, and 80 percent of all malignant brain tumours. Signs and symptoms ...

, which had favorably responded to radiation and chemotherapy treatment but was inoperable. His treatments were documented in a piece on ''

ABC World News Tonight ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...

''. Shellenberger's diagnosis led to the band cancelling their scheduled tour dates with

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

. The band held a benefit concert for Shellenberger at the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

on July 26, 2008. The concert also featured other bands such as

Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single "Fly". The ...

and Handsome Devil.

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...

's drummer

Adrian Young Adrian Samuel Young (born August 26, 1969) is an American drummer and member of the rock bands No Doubt and Dreamcar. Biography When not performing, in the studio or touring, Young likes to spend his time out on the golf course, as he is an a ...

filled in for Shellenberger for a couple of songs. Both drummers also played at the same time for a few songs. The concert was Shellenberger's final show with Lit, as he died from the disease on August 13, 2009, a month before his 40th birthday. He was survived by his parents and daughter. The remaining members of Lit released a statement the day after Shellenberger's death: "To anything for anyone. Words cannot begin to express how much he will be missed. This was our brother and not a day will go by that we won't think about him. Right now we're trying to find the balance of mourning his loss and celebrating his life. Allen has experienced more in his 39 years than most people dream of in 10 lifetimes. This is a tremendous loss for us, our fans and also for Allen's family who took such good care of him during his battle with cancer".

Drum set and other gear

Allen mainly used OCDP (Orange County Drums and Percussion) throughout his career. He also used Paiste Cymbals. His setup was one snare, one rack tom, and a floor tom. His cymbal setup was two crash cymbals, a pair of hi-hats, and a ride cymbal.

Discography

With Lit

* '' Tripping the Light Fantastic'' (1997) (reissued in 1999) * '' A Place in the Sun'' (1999) * '' Atomic'' (2001) * '' Lit'' (2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shellenberger, Allen 1969 births 2009 deaths American rock drummers Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in California Musicians from Long Beach, California 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians