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Michael Sumler, Kool & the Gang's 'Chicago Mike,' dies in car crash at 71

Michael Sumler, Kool & the Gang's longtime hype man known as 'Chicago Mike,' has died in a car crash at 71.

Michael Sumler, Kool & the Gang's resident hype man for more than three decades, died in a car crash in Mableton, Ga., on Sunday. The Cobb County Police Department confirmed Sumler's death to Entertainment Weekly, indicating that he was involved in a head-on collision on Veterans Memorial Highway west of Buckner Road at approximately 11:35 p.m. Known as "Chicago Mike," Sumler was initially brought on as Kool & the Gang's stylist and choreographer but became beloved by fans for acting as the group's hype man.

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