Michael Sumler dead at 71: Kool & the Gang singer & hype-man killed in car crash as tributes paid to ‘life of the party'
MICHAEL Sumler, known as the hypeman for Kool & the Gang, has died aged 71 following a horror crash, as tributes pour in for the "life of the party".
Also known as "Chicago Mike", the singer has died following a car crash just outside Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday night.
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The soul icon was driving the vehicle before it collided with another car near Buckner Road.
Chicago Mike was a music industry mogul who featured as a backing vocalist for the legendary Kool & the Gang.
Sumler's friend, Adrian Meeks, told Fox 5 Atlanta: 'It was a devastating blow,
"It's like no, no, no, not Mike."
Sumler first joined the iconic band in 1985
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