Kool & The Gang Co-Founder Ronald Bell Dead At 68

Ronald Bell served as the group's principal composer and arranger.

Ronald Bell, the co-founder of the funk group Kool & the Gang, has passed away at the age of 68. The news of Bell's death was shared via a statement from his publicist, according to Spin. No cause of death was revealed; the statement said Bell died “suddenly” at his home in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Bell formed Kool & the Gang along with his brother Robert, and friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith in 1964. Initially, the group was known as the Jazziacs, before settling on the name Kool & the Gang in 1969. As the group's principal composer and arranger, Bell wrote and produced a number of the band's most popular songs, including "Celebration," "Jungle Boogie," and "Summer Madness."