Kool & the Gang’s Michael “Chicago Mike” Sumler died in a automobile crash in Mableton, Georgia over Memorial Day Weekend.
Michael Sumler, the longtime hype man and stylist for Kool & the Gang, died early Sunday (Could 25) in a head-on collision in Mableton, Georgia. He was 71.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight on Veterans Memorial Freeway close to Buckner Highway. Authorities confirmed Sumler’s automobile struck one other automobile head-on, Atlanta Information First experiences. The opposite driver was not injured. Sumler was pronounced lifeless on the scene.
Recognized to many as “Chicago Mike,” Sumler had been part of Kool & the Gang’s prolonged household since 1985. He started as a stylist and choreographer earlier than changing into a fixture onstage, hyping up crowds together with his signature strikes and power for greater than three a long time.
Kool & the Gang Pay Tribute To Michael Sumler
The band issued a press release remembering their former colleague: “We’re deeply saddened to listen to in regards to the passing of our longtime wardrobe valet, Mike Sumler. Mike labored alongside Kool & the Gang from 2004-2015, ensuring the blokes regarded their greatest on stage each night time. He additionally enthused the group together with his power and dance strikes.”
We’re deeply saddened to listen to in regards to the passing of our longtime wardrobe valet, Mike Sumler. Mike labored alongside Kool & the Gang from 2000-2015, ensuring the blokes regarded their greatest on stage each night time. He additionally hyped the group together with his power and dance strikes on the
present.— Kool & the Gang (@KoolntheGngLIVE) Could 29, 2025
Sumler had simply carried out on the Mable Home Barnes Amphitheatre as a part of “An Night of Funk With Midnight Star, Con Funk Shun, and Rose Royce” earlier than the deadly crash.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens mirrored on Sumler’s influence, saying, “We’re heartbroken by the lack of musician Michael Sumler. ‘Chicago Mike’ contributed a lot to the music and leisure communities. His fashion and power added aptitude and pleasure to Kool & The Gang for many years.”
Sumler is the most recent member of Kool & the Gang to go away, following the dying of drummer George Brown in 2023. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame in 2024.
Shaped in 1969, Kool & the Gang is thought for a string of R&B and pop hits, together with “Celebration,” “Women’ Night time,” “Get Down on It” and “Jungle Boogie.”
The band has earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards and greater than 30 gold and platinum albums. Their music stays among the many most sampled in Hip-Hop historical past.
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