Kool & the Gang Co-Founder Ronald Bell Dies At Age 68
Socialites, we have some unfortunate news to share. Ronald “Khalis” Bell, the co-founder of legendary music group Kool & the Gang, who delivered great hits such as “Get Down on It,” “Cherish,” “Summer Madness,” “Jungle Boogie, and “Celebration” has died.
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According to the New York Post, his publicist Sujata Murthy confirmed the news in a statement, stating Bell had died on Wednesday at his home in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his wife, Tia Sinclair Bell, by his side. The cause of death was not shared.
Bell helped former a jazz group in 1960s called the Jazziacs who later became one of the major groups of the 1970s, blending jazz, funk, R&B and pop. After a brief downturn, the group returned to stardom in the ’80s. Bell wrote and composed some of the group’s biggest hit songs which was used in several films including “Rocky” and “Baby Boy.” During his time with Kool & the Gang, Bell also received a number of awards, including two Grammys, the Soul Train Legend Award, and seven American Music Awards.
Bell is survived by his wife, 10 children, grandchildren, as well as his brothers—Robert “Kool— Bell, Wahid Bayyan, and Amir Bayyan—and his sister, Sharifah Bayyan.
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