Dennis Thomas, longtime saxophonist and co-founder of Kool & the Gang, has died at the age of 70.
Suggested Reading
Thomas, also known as โDee Tee,โ died peacefully in his sleep Saturday in New Jersey, according to the legendary funk bandโs official Twitter account. The Associated Press reports that he is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.
Thomas was one of the seven original founding members of Kool & the Gang, which formed in 1964 and performed under various other names before the group settled on the one that weโve long known them as in 1969. Per Rolling Stone, Thomas was featured on all of Kool & the Gangโs albums.
His saxophone was integral to many of the groupโs hits, including โCelebration,โ โJungle Boogieโ and โLadiesโ Night,โ and it was his voice heard during the introduction to 1971's โWhoโs Gonna Take the Weight.โ
Kool & the Gang provided a statement to Rolling Stone, which said this, in part:
โA huge personality while also an extremely private person, Dennis was the alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist as well as master of ceremonies at the bandโs shows.
... Dee Tee was the groupโs wardrobe stylist who made sure they always looked fresh. In the bandโs early days, Dennis also served as the โbudget hawk,โ carrying the groupโs earnings in a paper bag in the bell of his horn.โ
According to Rolling Stone, Thomasโ final performance with the group was during aย Fourth of July concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. He was preceded in death by his fellow saxophonist and group co-founder Ronald โKhalisโ Bell in 2020. Robert โKoolโ Bell, Ronaldโs brother, and George Brown are the only remaining original members of the group since its formation.
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.