FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2014 file photo, George Brown, Ronald Bell, Dennis Thomas and Robert 'Kool' Bell of Kool and the Gang arrive during the 2014 Soul Train Awards at the Orleans Arena at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Thomas, a founding member of the long-running soul-funk band Kool & the Gang, has died. Thomas died peacefully in his sleep Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021 in New Jersey, where he was a resident of Montclair.(Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP, File)