Chicago Mike died in a two-car collision after performing in Atlanta | Credits: Facebook
Michael Sumler, known as Chicago Mike of the legendary funk and R&B group Kool & the Gang, died in a car crash over the weekend in Georgia’s Cobb County. He was 71, several news outlets reported.
Sumler, a frequent Costa del Sol visitor, was behind the wheel when his car collided with another vehicle just before midnight Saturday on Veterans Memorial Highway near Buckner Road.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens released the following statement on Facebook:
“We are saddened by the death of musician Michael Sumler. ‘Chicago Mike’ contributed so much to the music and entertainment communities. 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.”
Sumler had performed at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre in Mableton prior to the crash.
‘Our longtime wardrobe valet’
On their Facebook page, the Kool & the Gang band said: “We’re deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our longtime wardrobe valet, Mike Sumler.”
“Mike worked alongside Kool & the Gang from 2000-2015, making sure the guys looked their best on stage every night,” they added. “He also hyped the crowd with his energy and dance moves at the top of the show. Most recently, Mike helped Kool with LeKool champagne events. Everyone here at Kool & the Gang has fond memories of Mike and will miss him. May he rest in peace.”
Adrian Meeks of Song Source Music Group said, “It was a devastating blow. It’s like, no, no, not Mike.”
George Williams of Switch Entertainment said, “He was the hype guy out of the group, getting the audience going.”
Those close to Sumler say his influence extended far beyond the stage. Even in his 70s, he remained active in the music scene, mentoring younger musicians and helping them navigate the industry.
He liked seeing others succeed
“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.”
A spokesman for the band confirmed his death. 11Alive, a TV station in Atlanta, reported that Sumler was killed after performing Sunday evening 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 peace.”
In another 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.”
A crowd hyper
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, Los Angeles Times reported.
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.
