What happened to George ‘Funky’ Brown? The Kool & The Gang drummer and co-founder of the iconic band is dead aged 74. How he died, fortune and biography facts explored.
George “Funky” Brown, known for playing an instrumental part in Kool and the Gang, has died at the age of 74.
He was also a singer, songwriter, and performer. When asked to describe his music, Brown always replied, ‘The sound of happiness.”
His passing has been a great loss to music lovers.
He was also a family man and left behind his spouse and their kids.
Here’s everything we know about him; his career, cause of death, net worth, family, and more.
What was George Brown’s cause of death?
Musician and drama George Brown was confirmed dead in November 2023.
At the time of his passing, he was aged 74.
Sources close to the drummer noted that he’s been battling stage-4 lung cancer for some time and died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday evening, per TMZ.
“George Brown died November 16, 2023, in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer,” a representative for Brown told the outlet.
“Brown has co-written many of the band’s iconic songs, including Ladies Night, Too Hot, Jungle Boogie, Celebration, and Cherish.”
They added: “When asked to describe his music, Brown always replied, ‘The sound of happiness.'”
The spokesperson also noted that the public could make donations to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America in the drummer’s honor.
After being diagnosed, Brown recovered for some time and began touring with the funk band again, per local CBS affiliate KCAL News.
The cancer then returned earlier this year.
“We’d join hands, and you’d say to yourself, ‘let’s go make some people happy,'” Brown said in his last interview before his death with KCAL News.
And to those struggling with cancer themselves, he stressed, “don’t give up, never give up.”
Who was George Brown?
George Brown, famously known as Funky, made a name in the entertainment industry as a musician and a drummer.
He was born in January 1949, in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States.
The musician spent 59 years as a songwriter and performer for the iconic band.
Brown would make music history in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 when Kool & The Gang was formed.
Founding members Brown, brothers Robert and Ronald Bell, Dennis Thomas, Robert Mickens, Ricky West, and Charles Smith created the groundbreaking funk sound and quickly gained popularity.
The group landed its first record deal with De-Lite Records, and a few years later, in 1969, their debut album Kool And The Gang was released.
In 1973, the band gained considerable fame after hits like Hollywood Swinging and Jungle Boogie.
Other songs, including Celebration, Emergency, and Ladies Night, earned them two million album sales in the United States.
Celebration notably topped the charts after its release.
Over more than five decades later, Kool & The Gang earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, a Soul Train Legend award, and a Music Business Association Chairman’s Award.
On October 8, 2015, the band was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The last living member of the band is now Robert “Kool” Bell.
For Kool & The Gang, it was always about bringing out joy in the audience.
Who is George ‘Funky’ Brown’s wife and did he have any children?
Kool & the Gang Drummer George ‘Funky’ Brown was a family man at the time of his death.
He was married and had children.
The name of his wife is Hanh and the couple had been married for decades.
However, not much about Funky and Hanh’s love story, including how they met when they got married, and how long they were married, is not known.
He had five children with his spouse. The names, ages, and further details about his kids are undisclosed.
What was George ‘Funky’ Brown’s net worth?
For his long years working in the entertainment industry, Funky accumulated a sizable fortune before he died.
George ‘Funky’ Brown had an estimated net worth of between $800,000 and $1 million.