Posted on 08/07/2021 6:57:39 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Kool & the Gang co-founder Dennis Thomas died Saturday in New Jersey where he was a longtime resident, his representatives announced. He was 70.
A news released noted the musician, who went professionally by the name "Dee Tee," had "passed away peacefully in his sleep."
No official cause of death has been disclosed.
The Florida native "was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor," the release noted.
"A huge personality while also an extremely private person, Dennis was the alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist as well as master of ceremonies at the band's shows."
Famous for hits such as "Summer Madness," "Celebration," "Too Hot," "Ladies Night," "Get Down On it," "Cherish," "Fresh" and "Jungle Boogie," Kool & the Gang kicked off the 2021 season of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 4.
The concert marked the reopening of an iconic venue that had been closed more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was also Thomas' farewell appearance with the band.
Grammy-winning R&B group Kool & the Gang was formed in 1964 by seven teenage friends -- Thomas, brothers Ronald Bell and Robert "Kool" Bell, Spike Mickens, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith.
The band earned a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and its music has been featured on the soundtracks of film classics such as Rocky, Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction.
He is predeceased by his mother, Elizabeth Lee Thomas; his sister, Darlene Thomas; and his daughters, Michelle Thomas and Tracy Jackson. Michelle Thomas was an actress on The Cosby Show, Family Matters and The Young and the Restless. She died in 1998.
Thomas is survived by his wife, Phynjuar Saunders Thomas; daughter Tuesday Rankin; sons David Thomas and Devin Thomas; Aunt Mary "Duggie" Jones; sisters Doris Mai McClary and Elizabeth Thomas Ross; brother, Bill Mcleary; and several nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
Let me guess, Covid.
Their best tune as I remember: Too Hot. A cool, sultry tune with meaning.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kool+and+the+gang+too+hot&view=detail&mid=0A92B56B9374181877170A92B56B937418187717&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dkool%2band%2bthe%2bgang%2btoo%2bhot%26form%3dQBLH%26sp%3d-1%26pq%3d%26sc%3d0-0%26qs%3dn%26sk%3d%26cvid%3d47FAC0BDBC734B4A894C10844A16AC63
Rumor was they were a mafia band. Financed by the mob and had to stay together forever.
When someone “passes away peacefully in their sleep,” my mom says, “God loved him.”
Too Hot was one of my favs along with Summer Madness- long version of course.
Summer Madness is an incredible tube.
RIP.
I was not aware of that tune. Just listened to it for the first time. Great tune! Thank you.
She was right.
I guess so. But it’s always scared me. I alway thought one would want a final thought or word before they shuffled off this mortal coil. The idea of going without knowing it is... scary?
My mother and her friends are all good church-going people. They don’t care if they die, but they don’t want to linger, suffering.
One of my mom’s friends, Ted, in his 90s, took a fall while he was on a highway cleanup project with his church men’s group. They called 911, paramedics said he was okay. He went back to the apartment he shared with his sister, lay down for a nap, and didn’t wake up.
My mother emailed me, “God loved Ted.”
Did he take the vaccine?
If you don’t think you’re squared away with the Lord by the time you’re 70, 80, 90, you probably won’t ever feel like you can trust His mercy. That’s not about God, but about you and your experiences.
Saw them in concert about a month ago.
RIP. Hope it’s just right where you are. Kool and not Too Hot.
That’s a great song with such thoughtful lyrics I’d never thought about before.
#11 Only 226,233,981 views....
People like this song the world over.
I liked Jungle Boogie and Hollywood Swinging.
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