Kool & The Gang Drummer George ‘Funky’ Brown's Cause Of Death Revealed

Musician George "Funky" Brown has died. The renowned drummer and songwriter of the music group Kool & the Gang passed away at his home in Los Angeles.

He is known to have co-written songs for the band like" "Ladies Night," "Too Hot," "Jungle Boogie," "Celebration," and "Cherish."

Before his death, Brown battled with lung cancer on and off for many years. He is survived by his wife, Hannah Brown, and five children.

Kool & The Gang drummer Brown has passed on at the age of 74 in his home in Los Angeles. The songwriter's death was confirmed by a representative for his family. 

"George Brown died November 16, 2023, in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer," they said. Adding, "Brown has co-written many of the band's iconic songs, including Ladies Night, Too Hot, Jungle Boogie, Celebration, and Cherish."

The musician's death seems to have been spurred by his long-term battle with lung cancer. He had initially recovered from it and began performing again with the band. However, he relapsed and was later diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

Following his death, only one founding member of the Kool & The Gang, Robert 'Kool' Bell, remains alive. Other founding members include Ronald Bell, Dennis Thomas, Robert Mickens, Ricky West, and guitarist Charles Smith.

In a statement on Instagram, the band wrote of their late drummer, "In loving memory of our dear brother, cofounder and the funkiest drummer the world has ever seen. His beautiful soul is now at rest. We love you, George. Thank you for giving us the sound of happiness."

Shortly after releasing his memoir "Too Hot: Kool & The Gang And Me" back in July, Brown opened up about the changes in the band, saying they have continued to deliver because they have good chemistry.

He said in an interview with NPR, "It's the chemistry. If the chemistry is there, bingo, it works. And you want to make it happen, and you want to see people happy, and you want to be successful with it.

He added, "And you want to help create a culture, a world culture, where people come together with that music. That music is bringing people together and making this one-world culture greater than it was before."

At the time, Brown also added that making "happy music" was all about giving people a "good time," before adding that was what the band does.

Surviving the late drummer are his wife, Hanh Brown, and children: Dorian Melvin Brown, Jorge Lewis Brown, Gregory Brown, Jordan Xuan Clarence Brown, and Aaron Tien Joseph Brown.