Al Allen funeral information: Public viewing set for Feb. 24, funeral on Feb. 25

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The going home celebration for former FOX 2 reporter Al Allen is set for later this month and, at the family's request, we are making the information public.

Allen passed away on Feb. 5 after a brief hospitalization. 

For nearly 30 years, Allen was a fixture on air on FOX 2, reporting on crime and corruption, featuring stories highlighting the best of people in Metro Detroit.

Allen retired in 2012 and then wrote a book about his time in front of the camera.

Funeral information

A public viewing will be held at Swanson's Funeral Home in Detroit on Monday, Feb. 24 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On Feb. 25, Allen's funeral will be held at Second Ebenezer Church at 11 a.m.

That same day, Allen will be laid to rest at Mt. Hope cemetery in Livonia at 2 p.m.

The family has asked FOX 2 to be inside the church for his funeral and will provide a stream for viewers who cannot attend in person.

Al Allen's time at FOX 2

For nearly 30 years, Allen was a fixture on air on FOX 2, reporting on crime and corruption, featuring stories highlighting the best of people in Metro Detroit.

He was a constant presence, bringing viewers traffic and weather reports with a style and sensibility that was uniquely his own.

In 2023, Allen found familiar ground in front of the camera as he and Brandon Hudson took a ride and had candid conversations about his storied history on-air.

Allen was born Andrew Long and lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, until the age of 13, when he moved to Detroit. He got his start in broadcasting at a college radio station, where, as a journalism student, he would mop the floors and clean the windows and then sit behind the mic and deliver the news to listeners.