Kool & the Gang Member Killed in Car Crash: Michael Sumler Was 71

Michael Sumler, a longtime member of the iconic musical group Kool & the Gang, died in a car crash on Saturday at the age of 71.

Sumler, who was known to many as Chicago Mike, was driving on Veterans Memorial Highway near Buckner Road in Georgia’s Cobb County when he collided with another vehicle just before midnight, reports Fox 5 Atlanta.

Sumler died at the scene.

The late musician was originally brought into Kool & the Gang in 1985 as a stylist and choreographer, but soon joined the group as a show opener, crowd hype man and backup vocalist. Sumler revealed in a 2018 interview on Kelly Talk Show that he initially was part of a local Chicago band before a Kool & the Gang security guard caught his act and decided to introduce him to the group.

“Once they saw that I could do some other things, they said, ‘We need to have you on stage,’” he recalled.

Kool & the Gang, which was formed in 1964 in New Jersey, is behind funk, soul and R&B hits like “Ladies’ Night,” “Get Down on It,” “Celebration” and “Jungle Boogie.” The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens released a statement remembering Sumler after his death. “We are saddened by the death of musician Michael Sumler. ‘Chicago Mike’ contributed so much to the music and entertainment communities,” Owens said. “His style and energy added flare and excitement to Kool and the Gang for decades. The city of Mableton, council members and I join his family, friends and fans in mourning his loss.”

Adrian Meeks of Song Source Music Group told Fox 5 Atlanta that Sumler remained active in the music scene even in his 70s, mentoring younger musicians. “He always wanted to see other people succeed in the business that he’d been around most of all of his life,” Meeks said. “He was the bridge, you know, for inspiring artists and songwriters and producers and musicians to the legends.”

Meeks described Sumler as “always jovial, always just kind, always wanting to make sure everybody else around him was good.”