Joe Gill, The Express-Times via AP
In this Aug. 3, 2008 file photo, Dennis Thomas performs with the band “Kool and the Gang” in concert in Bethlehem, Pa. Dennis “Dee Tee” 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.