CNN —George Brown, a drummer and songwriter who co-founded the band Kool & the Gang, died on Thursday. The news was confirmed to CNN via email from Kool & the Gang’s publicist Jerry Digney. After taking on various other monikers, including The New Dimensions, The Soul Town Band and Kool & the Flames, they landed on Kool & The Gang, officially launching in 1969. Until he retired in August of this year, Brown toured with Kool & the Gang as part of one of the longest-running R&B groups in history. Brown is survived by his wife Hanh Brown and five sons.

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Persons: CNN — George Brown, Jerry Digney, Brown, Ricky Westfield, Ronald Bell, Robert “ Kool ” Bell, Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Charles Smith –, ”, Janet Jackson, Hanh Brown Organizations: CNN, Kool, Town, Flames, The, BET, New, New Jersey Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Boys Locations: Los Angeles, New Jersey, Cypress Hill