Ronald 'Khalis' Bell, Kool & The Gang Co-Founder, Passes At 68

RIP

RONALD “KHALIS” BELL, co-founder of multi-platinum crossover funk-soul group KOOL & THE GANG,  passed away suddenly YESTERDAY morning, according to a statement from his label publicist, UMe's SUJATA MURTHY. He was at his home in the U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS with his wife, TIA SINCLAIR BELL. He was 68.

BELL was a driving force behind one of the most successful groups of the last five decades, composing, arranging, producing and performing some of the most popular music of our time.

In 1964, a young BELL and his brother, ROBERT “KOOL” BELL, joined neighborhood friends SPIKE MICKENS, DENNIS THOMAS, RICKY WESTFIELD, GEORGE BROWN and CHARLES SMITH to create a unique musical blend of jazz, soul and funk. At first calling themselves the JAZZIACS, the band went through various names changes – THE NEW DIMENSIONS, THE SOUL TOWN BAND, KOOL & THE FLAMES  – before settling on their famous moniker. 

A self-taught musician, KHALIS’ signature sound can be heard on the band's trademarked horn lines, bass, synthesizer and vocals. He wrote and produced many of the band's iconic songs, including “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness” and “Open Sesame.” To date the band has earned two GRAMMYS, seven AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS, 25 Top 10 R&B hits, nine Top 10 Pop hits and 31 gold and platinum albums. In addition, their riffs are some of the most sampled of all time.

KOOL & THE GANG’s music is also featured on the soundtracks of "Rocky," "Saturday Night Fever" and "Pulp Fiction."

KHALIS also devoted much of his life to songwriting and producing as well as developing new acts. In fact, he produced THE FUGEES, then known as TRANZLATOR CREW's debut record, "Blunted On Reality."

In 2014, KOOL & THE GANG was honored with a BET SOUL TRAIN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. In OCTOBER 2015, they received a star on the HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME. After a decade long hiatus from new music the band released "Sexy" in 2016 and hit #15 on the BILLBOARD R&B charts. In 2018, they were inducted into the SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME.

KHALIS was working on a series of collaborations including his solo endeavor, “Kool Baby Brotha Band.” He was also working on “Kool TV,” a series of animated shorts about their childhood and career.

He is survived by family, his 10 children, grandchildren; brothers ROBERT "KOOL" BELL, WAHID BAYYAN, AMIR BAYYAN, his sister, SHARIFAH BAYYAN, and his wife TIA SINCLAIR BELL. Services will be private. The family asks in lieu of flowers, that fans support the BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF AMERICA.

The Mix Group Offers Tribute

The folks at THE MIX GROUP are celebrating the music of BELL with a tribute mix. Check it out at themixgroup.com/heman/ronald-bell/. Use the password: celebration. 

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