Pete Gentil, bassist for the veteran U.K. metal band Dealer, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Sept. 14.

According to local reports, police believe Gentil's vehicle collided with a deer on the B4425, which is listed in the Best Biking Roads website as one of the safest and most visually appealing rides in Britain. (Tellingly, the first comment on the road's page includes the warning, "Just be on the lookout for deer between Burford and Bibury.")

The death of Gentil, who was 52, deals a sobering setback to Dealer's recent run of good fortune, which started with a well-received comeback in 2010 following a 25-year split. While the reconstituted band had yet to release any new studio material, they remained active on the touring circuit; in 2011, they booked their first tour of Russia, and in June 2013, they performed at the Phoenix Festival in Cirencester.

Even though they were never hugely commercially successful, Dealer's early-'80s material was an important component of the period's New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and a number of live recordings and reissues have surfaced over the years.

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