Kool & the Gang’s Michael Sumler dies in car crash at 71

What we know:

Known to many in the music industry as “Chicago Mike,” Sumler was behind the wheel when his car collided with another vehicle just before midnight Saturday on Veterans Memorial Highway near Buckner Road.

He died at the scene.

What they’re saying:

Friends and colleagues in the music world say the loss is devastating.

“It was a devastating blow,” said Adrian Meeks of Song Source Music Group. “It’s like, no, no, not Mike.”

Sumler spent more than three decades with Kool & the Gang, where he was known for energizing crowds and connecting with fans.

“He was the hype guy out of the group, getting the audience going,” said Greg Williams of Switch Entertainment.

Those close to Sumler say his influence extended far beyond the stage. Even in his 70s, he remained active in the music scene, mentoring younger musicians and helping them navigate the industry.

“He always wanted to see other people succeed in the business that he’d been around most of all of his life,” Meeks said. “He was the bridge, you know, for inspiring artists and songwriters and producers and musicians to the legends.”

Meeks described Sumler as “always jovial, always just kind, always wanting to make sure everybody else around him was good.”

Williams echoed the sentiment, calling him “one of these people God put on a planet to teach people how to act because he was kind, he was thoughtful, he was intelligent, he was articulate and he was the life of the party.”

Friends say they are waiting to hear from Sumler’s family, many of whom still live in Chicago, before making memorial arrangements.