Kool & the Gang co-founder Ronald 'Khalis' Bell dies
Kool & the Gang co-founder Robert 'Kool' Bell (right) at the Kenya National Theatre, Nairobi on November 13, 2016.
What you need to know:
Bell is survived by his wife, 10 children and grandchildren.
His cause of death is not yet known.
Two-time Grammy Award winner Kool & the Gang band co-founder Ronald “Khalis” Bell has died.
According to a statement from his label publicist, Sujata Murthy, Bell passed away suddenly on Wednesday (early Thursday, local time) at his home in the US Virgin Islands, with his wife – Tia Sinclair Bell – by his side. He was 68.
In 2016, the group thrilled jazz, funk and soul music enthusiasts after performing at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi, where hundreds of fans showed up for the concert organised by Blankets and Wine in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and The Stanley Hotel.
Members of Kool & the Gang entertaining their fans at KICC, Nairobi on November 13, 2016.
In October 2002, the 10-member group also co-founded by his brother Robert “Mr Kool” Bell also performed at an Aids awareness concert at Uhuru Park, Nairobi.
Formed in 1964, the American funk and rhythm and blues band has sold 70 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including two Grammys and seven American Music Awards.
Kool & the Gang grew from jazz roots to become one of the major groups of the 1970s, blending jazz, funk, R&B and pop. After a brief hiatus, the group enjoyed a return to stardom in the ‘80s.
Bell started the group with his brother Robert along with neighbourhood friends Dennis “D.T.” Thomas, Robert “Spike” Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown and Ricky West.
Bell wrote and composed some of the group’s biggest songs including ‘Celebration’, ‘Cherish’, ‘Jungle Boogie’ and ‘Summer Madness’.
‘Celebration’ is also regarded as one of the most popular wedding songs of all time.
The song ‘Summer Madness’ was used in several films, including ‘Rocky’ and ‘Baby Boy’. The song was also used in a Nike shoe commercial in 2006 featuring LeBron James.
Despite his huge legacy, Bell remained humble when asked about his contributions to music.
“A lot of the songs, I may have spearheaded ‘em. But it’s really, with a ‘K’, the (collective) genius of a band called Kool & The Gang,” he told The New Yorker in 2018.
A members of Kool & the Gang entertainings fans at KICC, Nairobi on November 13, 2016.
According to Variety, at the time of his death, Bell was in the midst of a series of collaborations including his solo endeavour, ‘Kool Baby Brotha Band’. He was also working on ‘Kool TV’, a series of animated shorts about the group’s career.
Bell is survived by his wife, 10 children and grandchildren.
His cause of death is not yet known.
