A Shocked Music Scene Searches for Answers in ‘Kind’ Pianist Paul Allen’s Homicide On Dec. 23, Dallas police responded to a welfare check for Timothy Paul Allen and found the 65-year-old dead in the passenger seat of his car. Dallas police announced Allen’s cause of death, per the medical examiner, as “homicidal violence.” Allen was a pianist, a longtime fixture in the cabaret and lounge music scene who also had a recurring gig playing for shoppers at Nordstrom’s. The University of North Texas graduate was a well-liked figure in the Dallas music scene, says his friend, musician Bruce Richardson.