Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band is Dead at 73

From TMZ.com:
R&B legend Ronnie Wilson, a founding member of The Gap Band and "Uncle" Charlie Wilson's older brother, is dead ... TMZ has confirmed.
Ronnie's wife, Linda Boulware-Wilson, tells TMZ ... he died at 10:01 AM Tuesday at his home in Tulsa, OK. We're told he died peacefully and Linda was holding his hand as he took his last breath.


Linda says Ronnie suffered a stroke last week, and it put him into a semi-coma and he never recovered. We're told he suffered several strokes throughout the years.
In a Facebook post, Linda remembered her late husband as a "genius with creating, producing and playing the flugelhorn, trumpet, keyboards and singing music."
Ronnie and his brothers, Charlie and Robert Wilson, formed The Gap Band back in the 1970s in Tulsa, OK ... and their music picked up the baton from huge acts like Stevie Wonder, George Clinton and Earth Wind & Fire.

So sorry to hear this. My sister texted with the news this morning. My condolences to Charlie and the family. Rest in power.

One of the last bands to fully get my attention.
was just listening the other day and thinking they and Rick James and funkadelic kind of intertwine in sound.

Regrettably their’s is the only concert I ever walked out on. It was at the concord pavilion and even though outside where we sat on the grass, the volume was so loud it was ridiculous. Beyond distraction.
Was always a fan none the less.
RIP Ronnie.

There are a few interviews with The Gap Band on youtube from Soul Train and Bandstand
included. I only chose this one because it has better sound than the others and Ronnie
gets more talk time. We had so many bands of really talented singers and musicians to
choose from back in the day. To me though they did indeed compete, borrow, sometimes
steal!:0)...and mine a lot of the same territory, each had it's own sound...Charlie and his
brothers certainly made their mark. RIP, Ronnie...