George “Funky” Brown was 74
Kool & the Gang drummer is dead
November 17, 2023, 10:17 p.m
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The songwriter, drummer and co-founder of the legendary funk band Kool & the Gang is dead. George “Funky” Brown succumbed to cancer in California. His family was by his side until the end.
The musician George “Funky” Brown is dead, as several US media outlets unanimously report. The co-founder and drummer of Kool & the Gang was 74 years old. A spokesman for the band confirmed to the US magazine “People” that Brown died peacefully in Long Beach, California.
“We lost our beloved husband and father, Kool & the Gang founding member George Brown, last night,” Brown’s family said in a statement. “He passed away peacefully at Long Beach Memorial Hospital surrounded by his family.” They will miss “his incredible talent and his presence,” which should never be forgotten.
A spokesperson for Universal Music Enterprises confirmed that Brown died as a result of cancer, according to industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter. When asked how he would describe his own music, Brown always replied: “It’s the sound of happiness.”
songwriter of “Ladies’ Night”
Brown was one of the first members of the legendary funk band that became known as Kool & the Gang in 1969. Not only did he sit on the drums, but he was also one of the lead songwriters behind some of the group’s biggest hits – including “Celebration,” “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies’ Night,” according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The band’s songs have been sampled by countless acts over the past few decades, including Nas, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.
Brown was one of Kool & the Gang’s longest-serving members, alongside Robert “Kool” Bell and saxophonist Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, who died in 2021. Just in July, Kool and the Gang released a new album, People Just Want to Have Fun, which Brown produced. That same month, he released his memoir Too Hot: Kool & the Gang & Me. However, in August he officially decided to retire from music.