Dennis “Dee Tee” Thompson, a founding member of the legendary band Kool and the Gang, died August 7, 2021. He was 70 years old and last performed with the group on the fourth of July at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
A representative said Thompson died peacefully in his sleep in Montclair, New Jersey, where he resided. Thompson played alto sax, flute and percussion instruments for Kool and the Gang and acted as the master of ceremonies at their concerts. He was known for his hip threads and was also a wardrobe stylist for the group.
Kool & The Gang burst on the scene in 1973 with the single “Jungle Boogie” from their first album “Wild and Peaceful.” “Jungle Boogie” was a call to express your inner funk on the dance floor, or wherever you happened to be when fros were high and bell bottoms were wide.
A versatile, soulful big band, Kool & The Gang, followed up their seminal ’73 party hits “Jungle Boogie” and “Hollywood Swingers” with jazzy grooves like “Summer Madness” on their “Light of the World” album (1974) and more party anthems, such as “Ladies’ Night” on the “Ladies’ Night” album (1979), and “Get Down on it,” from the “Something Special” album in 1981, which went gold. The group’s biggest crossover hit “Celebration” reached number one on pop charts in the U.S. In 2015, Kool & The Gang received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Thompson is survived by his wife Phynjuar Saunders Thomas, daughter Tuesday Rankin, sons David Thomas and Devin Thomas, his brother Bill Mcleary, his sisters Doris Mai McClary and Elizabeth Thomas Ross, and many nephews, nieces and grandchildren.
Article sources: New York Times Post, The St. Louis American, Variety and The Washington Times
