Senator Ben Murray-Bruce on Thursday mourned the co-founder of pop group Kool & The Gang Ronald Bell, revealing he brought the band to Nigeria in 1981.
Ronald started the band with his brother Robert ‘Kool’ Bell in 1964. He died aged 68 on Wednesday at his US Virgin Islands home. The cause of death was not stated by his publicist.
In a tweet, Murray-Bruce said Ronald would be “greatly missed”.
“I’m saddened by the death of Kool & The Gang co-founder, Ronald Bell. In 1981, I brought the Kool & The Gang to Nigeria, and we achieved great success. Ronald was a good friend and he will be dearly missed,” he wrote.
The group became one of the most popular and influential soul and funk bands in the 1970s and 1980s, with hits including ‘Celebration’, ‘Ladies’ Night’ and ‘Get Down On It’.
Their music also featured in several films including Saturday Night Fever, for which they received a Grammy in 1978, and Pulp Fiction.
Ronald is survived by his wife Tia Sinclair Bell and 10 children; as well as his brother Robert and three other siblings. The family will hold a private funeral service and have asked that fans donate to the children’s charity the Boys and Girls Club of America.
