Latest news with #Love'sTrain
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Kool & the Gang's Michael Sumler dies in car crash at 71
LOS ANGELES: Michael Sumler, also known as Chicago Mike, who served as a hype man and stylist for the soul-funk band Kool & the Gang, died on Sunday in a car crash in Georgia. He was 71. His death was confirmed by a band spokesman, according to the Los Angeles Times. Atlanta TV station 11Alive reported that Sumler was killed when his car collided with another vehicle on Veterans Memorial Highway in Georgia's Cobb County. Sumler had performed on Sunday evening with the group Con Funk Shun, whose member Michael Cooper paid tribute, saying, "We had no idea that Sunday night's Love's Train would be your last ride. Rest in heavenly peace." Kool & the Gang, known for hits such as 'Ladies Night' and 'Celebration', described Sumler as their "longtime wardrobe valet" from 2000 to 2015, ensuring the band "looked their best on stage every night." He also "hyped the crowd with his energy and dance moves." The group, formed in the mid-1960s, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year and is recognised as "the most sampled group in hip-hop history."
American Military News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Kool & the Gang's Michael Sumler dies in car crash at 71
Michael Sumler, who spent years working with the venerable soul-funk group Kool & the Gang as both an onstage hype man and a behind-the-scenes stylist, died Sunday in a car crash in Georgia. He was 71. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the band. 11Alive, a TV station in Atlanta, reported that Sumler was killed after his car collided with another vehicle as he was traveling on Veterans Memorial Highway in Georgia's Cobb County. Sumler, who was known as Chicago Mike, had performed Sunday evening in Mableton, Georgia, with the group Con Funk Shun, whose Michael Cooper paid tribute to Sumler on social media. 'We had no idea that Sunday night's Love's Train would be your last ride,' Cooper wrote. 'Rest in heavenly piece.' In its statement, Kool & the Gang described Sumler as 'our longtime wardrobe valet' and said he worked with the band from 2000 to 2015, 'making sure the guys looked their best on stage every night.' Sumler 'also hyped the crowd with his energy and dance moves at the top of the show,' the group added. Known for hits including 'Ladies Night,' 'Jungle Boogie,' 'Get Down on It' and 'Celebration,' Kool & the Gang was formed in the mid-1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey, by brothers Robert Bell (who went by Kool) and Ronald Khalis Bell along with several neighborhood pals. Khalis Bell died in 2020; George 'Funky' Brown, the band's founding drummer, died in 2023. Last year the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which called Kool & the Gang 'the most sampled group in hip-hop history.' Among the countless songs that have borrowed elements of Kool & the Gang's music: Nas' 'N.Y. State of Mind,' Mase's 'Feel So Good,' Luniz's 'I Got 5 on It,' the Wu-Tang Clan's 'Method Man' and 'Summertime' by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. In 2021, Kool & the Gang became the first act to perform for a full-capacity crowd at the Hollywood Bowl after a lengthy and unprecedented closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Information on Sumler's survivors wasn't immediately available. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Kool & The Gang's Michael Sumler dies in car crash at 71
In its statement, Kool & The Gang described Michael Sumler (far left) as 'our longtime wardrobe valet' and said he worked with the band from 2000 to 2015. Photos: Facebook Michael Sumler, who spent years working with the venerable soul-funk group Kool & The Gang as both an onstage hype man and a behind-the-scenes stylist, died Sunday in a car crash in Georgia. He was 71. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the band. 11Alive, a TV station in Atlanta, reported that Sumler was killed after his car collided with another vehicle as he was travelling on Veterans Memorial Highway in Georgia's Cobb County. Sumler, who was known as Chicago Mike, had performed Sunday evening in Mableton, Georgia, with the group Con Funk Shun, whose Michael Cooper paid tribute to Sumler on social media. "We had no idea that Sunday night's Love's Train would be your last ride," Cooper wrote. "Rest in heavenly piece." In its statement, Kool & The Gang described Sumler as "our longtime wardrobe valet" and said he worked with the band from 2000 to 2015, "making sure the guys looked their best on stage every night." Sumler "also hyped the crowd with his energy and dance moves at the top of the show," the group added. Known for hits including Ladies Night, Jungle Boogie, Get Down On It and Celebration , Kool & The Gang was formed in the mid-1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey, by brothers Robert Bell (who went by Kool) and Ronald Khalis Bell along with several neighbourhood pals. Last year the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which called Kool & The Gang "the most sampled group in hip-hop history." Information on Sumler's survivors wasn't immediately available. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kool & the Gang's Michael Sumler dies in car crash at 71
Michael Sumler, who spent years working with the venerable soul-funk group Kool & the Gang as both an onstage hype man and a behind-the-scenes stylist, died Sunday in a car crash in Georgia. He was 71. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the band. 11Alive, a TV station in Atlanta, reported that Sumler was killed after his car collided with another vehicle as he was traveling on Veterans Memorial Highway in Georgia's Cobb County. Sumler, who was known as Chicago Mike, had performed Sunday evening in Mableton, Ga., with the group Con Funk Shun, whose Michael Cooper paid tribute to Sumler on social media. 'We had no idea that Sunday night's Love's Train would be your last ride,' Cooper wrote. 'Rest in heavenly piece.' In its statement, Kool & the Gang described Sumler as 'our longtime wardrobe valet' and said he worked with the band from 2000 to 2015, 'making sure the guys looked their best on stage every night.' Sumler 'also hyped the crowd with his energy and dance moves at the top of the show,' the group added. Known for hits including 'Ladies Night,' 'Jungle Boogie,' 'Get Down on It' and 'Celebration,' Kool & the Gang was formed in the mid-1960s in Jersey City, N.J., by brothers Robert Bell (who went by Kool) and Ronald Khalis Bell along with several neighborhood pals. Khalis Bell died in 2020; George 'Funky' Brown, the band's founding drummer, died in 2023. Last year the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which called Kool & the Gang 'the most sampled group in hip-hop history.' Among the countless songs that have borrowed elements of Kool & the Gang's music: Nas' 'N.Y. State of Mind,' Mase's 'Feel So Good,' Luniz's 'I Got 5 on It,' the Wu-Tang Clan's 'Method Man' and 'Summertime' by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. In 2021, Kool & the Gang became the first act to perform for a full-capacity crowd at the Hollywood Bowl after a lengthy and unprecedented closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Information on Sumler's survivors wasn't immediately available.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iconic '60s Musician Dies in Car Accident
Michael Sumler, a longtime member of the influential R&B group Kool & the Gang has been reportedly killed in a car crash this past Saturday, as reported by Newsweek. According to the publication, the musician was 71-years-old. More popularly known under the jazzy moniker "Chicago Mike," Sumler was best known for appearing as an integral member of Kool & the Gang from 1985 onwards. Initially, Sumler had been brought into the group to serve as a stylist and choreographer, before eventually playing openers for the band and, ultimately, providing backup vocals. Over the weekend, Sumler was driving in Atlanta, Georgia's Veterans Memorial Highway when he struck another car near Buckner Road. As per local outlets, the musician died at the scene of the accident. Various personalities within the music world have offered their sympathies for Sumler's family, commemorating the funk musician's achievements in the annals of R&B musical history. Sumler's friend, Song Source Music Group's Adrian Meeks, offered his sentiments, telling Fox 5 Atlanta that Sumler was "always jovial, always just kind, always wanting to make sure everybody else around him was good." Similarly, the '60s funk band Con Funk Shun wrote on X, "We had no idea that Sunday night's Love's Train would be your last," of Sumler's passing. "Rest in heavenly peace." Originally formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, Kool & the Gang has often described as one of the most revolutionary music groups within either the R&B, soul, funk or disco genres. Initially breaking through in the industry with hit singles like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging," the band eventually rose to new heights with the release of their albums Ladies' Night in 1979 and Celebrate! and Emergency in the early 1980s. In addition to winning two Grammy Awards throughout their tenure together, they've also earned a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 and an honorary star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Iconic '60s Musician Dies in Car Accident first appeared on Parade on May 28, 2025
