Kool & The Gang's Michael Sumler died over the weekend in a car crash in Georgia’s Cobb County. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, he collided with another vehicle on Veterans Memorial Highway. He was 71 years old.
Sumler was best known with Kool & The Gang for bringing an infectiously high energy to live shows, according to Billboard. With the group, he was known by the nickname, "Chicago Mike."
The group reflected on Sumler's passing in a statement on Facebook, Wednesday. They wrote: "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. 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."
Fans joined in with supportive messages in the comments. "So sorry for your loss. He sure did keep you guys looking sharp. Love your work. Forever such talent is hard to come by. Carry on," one user wrote. Another added: "Such a shock. Mike was such a sweet man. So kind. All my deepest condolences to the Kool family and Mike's loved ones."
Mableton’s Mayor, Michael Owens, released a statement addressing Sumler's passing. “We are saddened by the death of musician Michael Sumler,” he wrote. “‘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.”
Additionally, Adrian Meeks of Song Source Music Group told Fox 5: “He always wanted to see other people succeed in the business that he’d been around most of all of his life. He was the bridge, you know, for inspiring artists and songwriters and producers and musicians to the legends.”
Kool & The Gang previously lost drummer George Brown to cancer in 2023. Before that, sax player Dennis Thomas died in 2021 at the age of 70.
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Oliver Tree’s team has provided a new update following the singer’s death in a helicopter crash on June 14, confirming that a new artist grant will soon be established in his memory to help creatives secure funding, a plan he had detailed in his will before his passing.
Accompanying a collection of photos highlighting Tree’s performances, travels and creative work through the years, a post shared Sunday (June 21) on his Instagram account revealed that the musician’s remains have been brought back to California, the state he called home and where he will be laid to rest. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon,” the caption reads. “This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing.”
“We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish,” the statement continued, adding that “the constant love, support and positivity” shown by fans throughout the past week has helped his “family, friends and collaborators make it through these extremely difficult times.”
Tree was among six people who lost their lives in a helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro. The musician was in Brazil for his The World’s First Tour run and had performed what would ultimately be his final concert on June 6 in São Paulo. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, along with pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Just months before his death, Tree discussed his plans to direct his fortune and future earnings from his music toward a grant program for artists during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show. “I take no credit for anything I’ve ever done,” he said during the April interview. “Furthermore, I don’t believe that any of the wealth or things that get made from it is mine. So when I die … my will is set up so that when I pass, my family, nobody is going to get a penny.”
“If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a penny,” he added at the time, explaining that the initiative would focus on helping artists create work rather than funding education. “I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement, but there’s not gonna be a silver spoon. All the money is going to go back to artists.”
