Dennis ‘Dee Tee’ Thomas: Kool and the Gang Co-Founder Dead at 70
- Dennis Thomas died peacefully in his home in New Jersey on Saturday
- The Kool and the Gang band had a successful career spanning 50 years and won two Grammy Awards
- Some of the groups most famous songs included Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie and Summer Madness
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Renowned Kool & the Gang band have lost another great member of the team after the demise of co-founder Dennis 'Dee Tee' Thomas at 70 years old.
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According to a statement shared on the group's Facebook page, the singer died on Saturday, August 7, peacefully in his sleep in New Jersey, US.
The original member of the band was described as the "quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanour".
The band grew from jazz roots in the 1960s and became a major hit in the 1970s, blending jazz, funk, R&B and pop, according to NBC News.
The group had a successful musical career spanning 50-plus years at the top, and earned two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards.
Kool and the Gang also had more than 30 top 10 hits and 31 gold and platinum albums.
Their biggest songs included Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie and Summer Madness. They were the most sampled band of all time.
In 2014, the band was awarded a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award and in October 2015, they were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Dennis will be remembered as the group's wardrobe stylist who made sure everyone looked fresh.
His last appearance with the band came as they kicked off the 2021 season of Hollywood Bowl in LA for the fourth of July. His death also comes nearly a year after co-founder Ronald Khalis Bell died in September 2020 at age 68.
He is survived by his wife, Phynjuar Saunders Thomas, a daughter, sons and grandchildren.
Days of Our Lives actor Jay Pickett dies while shooting a movie scene
In some other world celebrity news, Briefly News previously reported that Days of Our Lives actor Jay Pickett is dead.
The celebrated actor, who is also famous for his role on popular TV soap operas such as General Hospital, died on Friday, July 30. According to NY Times, Jay died while shooting a movie in Idaho, US.
Briefly News has established the actor, who died at 60, passed on while on set starring for a film dubbed Treasure Valley.
Fellow actors confirm Jay's sudden demise
His sudden demise was confirmed by Travis Mills, the director of Treasure Valley, which was set to feature Pickett as one of the main stars. Travis publicised news of Jay's death on Sunday, August 1, through his official social media pages.
In a Facebook post seen by, Travis disclosed that Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie. There was no official explanation for the cause of Jay's death, Travis confirmed.
Jay's death was also confirmed by actor and friend Jim Heffel through his official Facebook page.
“Yesterday I lost a good friend and the world lost a great person. Jay Pickett decided to ride off into the Heavens. Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy,’' Heffel wrote.
Jay's death broke the hearts of many movie enthusiasts who thronged different social media platforms to celebrate him.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Naomi Kobbie Naomi is an entertainment writer with 3 years experience in the world of radio and print media. She is a language graduate from the University of Pretoria (2020) and has worked for Briefly News since 2021. Naomi has a passion for the written word, whether through her work as a journalist or as a soulful singer. "When I'm not working, I spend my time producing music, travelling or snuggling up with a good movie and some butter popcorn."
