School’s out for the summer, so we’re congratulating the valedictorians and salutatorians from local public and private schools. (Did we miss any? Email us and we’ll update the list.) 🌩️ ...

By McKinley Franklin Mike Sumler, hype man of the Grammy Award-winning group Kool & the Gang, has died. He was 71. Sumler died in a car crash during Memorial Day weekend, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

As a member of the R&B and funk group Kool & the Gang, Michael Sumler’s music made him famous. But it was his compassion for others that will be his legacy, according to close friend Adrian Meeks.

Michael Sumler, who spent years working with the venerable soul-funk group Kool & the Gang as both an onstage hype man and a behind-the-scenes stylist, died Sunday in a car crash in Georgia.

Michael Sumler, a longtime member of the legendary R&B and funk band Kool & the Gang, has died. He was 71. Sumler, who originally worked as the band's wardrobe valet before joining the group as a ...

Michael Sumler, a long-time member of Kool & the Gang, has died in a car crash. Michael Owens, the mayor of Mableton, north of Atlanta, said in a Facebook post: "This Memorial Day weekend the ...

His style and energy added flair and excitement to Kool and the Gang for decades.” Kool & the Gang posted this statement on social media on Wednesday. “We’re deeply saddened to hear about ...

MABLETON, Ga. — Michael “Chicago Mike” Sumler, a former member of legendary music group Kool & the Gang, died in a car crash. He was 71 years old. “We’re deeply saddened to hear about ...

MABLETON, Ga. — Michael Sumler, a longtime member of the iconic funk band Kool & the Gang, died Sunday night in a crash on Veterans Memorial Highway in Cobb County. He was 71. Known to fans as ...

She has been working at PEOPLE for 17 years. Donald Kravitz/Getty Michael Sumler, a member of R&B band Kool & the Gang, has died. He was 71. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the musical group ...