Michael Sumler, Beloved Member of Kool & the Gang, Dies in Car Accident at 71
Michael Sumler, a longtime member of the legendary band Kool & the Gang has died at age 71. Sumler died in a two-car accident in Cobb County, Georgia on May 24, Fox5 Atlanta reported. Sumler had the nickname “Chicago Mike” during his many years with the R&B funk band.
Adrian Meeks of Song Source Music Group told the Atlanta news outlet that Sumler’s death was “a devastating blow.” “It’s like, no, no, not Mike,” he said. “He always wanted to see other people succeed in the business that he’d been around most of all of his life. He was the bridge, you know, for inspiring artists and songwriters and producers and musicians to the legends. ... He’ll be dearly missed.”
Sumler was part of Kool & the Gang for more than three decades and opened the group’s shows.
In 2018, he appeared on The Kelly Talk Show and revealed that he started out as a stylist and choreographer for the group. “And once they saw that I could do some other things, they said, 'We need to have you on stage,'” Sumler said. “So, I started opening. Kool’s brother, who's the main writer of the group, Ronald Bell, he said, 'You're such a great dancer we need some energy in the beginning of the show.'”
Sumler carried a boom box on his shoulder and busted moves while hyping up the band. He later became a background singer for the iconic group.
Kool & the Gang first formed in the 1960s by brothers Robert “Kool” and Ronald Bell, Dennis “Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow, and Ricky Westfield. They released their self-titled debut album in 1969. The group had massive success in the 1970s with the radio hits “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies Night” and in the 1980s with "Celebrate” and “Get Down On It.”
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