Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, a co-founder of the legendary funk band Kool and the Gang whose hits included "Celebration," died Saturday at age 70 in his sleep at his home in Montclair, New Jersey.

In a statement his surviving bandmates put out on the group's Facebook page, he was described as "the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor." 

He made his final appearance with the group on July 4 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

We're going to have a good time: a life in music

Born February 9, 1951, in Orlando, Florida, Thomas and his friends, brothers Robert and Ronald Bell, George Brown, Robert Mickens, Charles Smith, and Ricky Westfield founded the group under the name the Jazziacs in 1964 in New Jersey.

The group went on to hit it big under the name they adopted in 1969, Kool and the Gang, with such hits as "Get down on it," "Jungle Boogie" and "Ladies' Night." Their music has featured in major motion picture soundtracks including "Rocky," "Saturday Night Fever" and "Pulp Fiction."

The band's songs have been heavily sampled, especially in the rap world, by artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Nas, NWA, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, and The Wu-Tang Clan.

The band earned two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards. In 2014, Kool and the Gang was honored with a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.

The group remains a DJ favorite for all manner of occasions.

One of the group's other co-founders, Ronald Bell, died last year at his home in the US Virgin Islands.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Phynjuar Saunders Thomas, daughter Tuesday Rankin and sons David Thomas and Devin Thomas.

ar/sms (AFP, AP)