Kool and the Gang's George 'Funky' Brown R.I.P.

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GEORGE BROWN, THE co-founder, drummer, and songwriter for Kool and the Gang, died Thursday, Nov. 16, after a battle with cancer. He was 74.

A rep for Kool and the Gang confirmed Brown’s death in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. Brown’s family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Lung Cancer Society of America in his honor.

Aptly nicknamed “Funky,” Brown not only provided the backbeat to Kool and the Gang’s many indelible funk and disco era hits but also helped write them. Brown’s co-writing credits include favorites like “Ladies Night,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Celebration,” “Summer Madness,” and “Too Hot.”

And as much as those songs remain party classics, Brown’s drumming has remained a frequent presence in music thanks to the myriad Kool and the Gang samples across pop and hip-hop. Artists who’ve plucked those grooves include Jay-Z, Madonna, Nas, N.W.A. the Killers, Janet Jackson, the Beastie Boys, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest.