Gap Band Co-Founder Ronnie Wilson Passed Away At 73

He Suffered A Stroke A Week Before

Ronnie Wilson, a co-founding member of the legendary R&B and funk group the Gap Band, passed away at the age of 73. His wife, Linda Boulware-Wilson, confirmed his death via a statement posted on social media.

“The love of my life was called home this morning, at 10:01 a.m.,” she wrote. “Please continue to pray for the Wilson, Boulware, and Collins family, while we mourn his passing. Ronnie Wilson was a genius with creating, producing, and playing the flugelhorn, trumpet, keyboards, and singing music, from childhood to his early seventies. He will be truly missed.”

According to gossip news site TMZ, Wilson died at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, only a week after he suffered a stroke. It sent him to a coma, which he never recovered from.

The Gap Band landed a record deal with Mercury Records in 1979 and not long after that, they achieved success with a series of hit singles like “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!), “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me),” “Early in the Morning,” “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” “Outstanding,” and “Party Time.”

Aside from his work in the Gap Band, he also produced records for several other artists. By the 2000s, he became part of a music ministry at a San Antonio church.