DeBarge family singer Tommy DeBarge dead aged 64

DeBarge family singer Tommy DeBarge dead aged 64

Tommy DeBarge, the singer, bass player, founder of 1970s R&B/funk band Switch, and member of the music industry’s famed DeBarge family, has died aged 64. This was confirmed by his sister Bunny, who posted on Facebook, “Prayers for my family, we lost Tommy! He has gone to be with the Lord!”.

Born Thomas Keith DeBarge, a member of the family explained to TMZ that Tommy had suffered for a number of years from liver and kidney failure. He is reported to have died in hospital on Thursday, October 21, after his health “took a turn for the worse”.

Tommy first shot to fame when he founded Switch with brother Bobby DeBarge back in the mid-’70s, having hits with songs like ‘Love Over & Over Again’, ‘I Call Your Name ‘, and, ‘There’ll Never Be’. At that time, Switch comprised the two brothers, along with, Phillip Ingram, Gregory Williams, Eddie Fluellen, and Jody Sims.

In the 1980s, Tommy and Bobby left Switch and formed DeBarge, which was formed with the duo’s younger brothers and sisters, El, Mark, Randy, and Bunny. This format went on to have six hit albums and was responsible for one of the biggest dance tunes of the 1980s when they recorded and released the iconic track, ‘Rhythm of the Night‘, in 1985.

Brother Bobby passed away on August 16, 1995, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from complications brought on by AIDS, as reported by dailystar.co.uk.

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