Tommy DeBarge of Switch passes away at age 64 following years grappling with liver and kidney failure
- Switch member Tommy DeBarge has passed at the age of 64
- The musician grappled with liver and kidney failure over the years, according to TMZ
- His health took a turn for the worse, and he died in the hospital on Thursday
- DeBarge’s sister Etterlene DeBarge remembered her late brother with a post of him playing the guitar in the clouds
Switch member Tommy DeBarge has passed away at the age of 64.
DeBarge grappled with liver and kidney failure over the years, but his health took a turn for the worse recently, a family member told TMZ.
DeBarge passed in the hospital on Thursday, a couple of weeks after his initial hospitalization.
Switch member Tommy DeBarge (pictured second from right) has passed away at the age of 64
His daughter Marina DeBarge revealed her father had battled COVID-19 earlier this year in addition to kidney and liver disease. He recovered from COVID, and never complained about the pain.
DeBarge’s sister Etterlene DeBarge remembered her late brother with a post of him playing the guitar in the clouds.
‘Tommy has gained his wings,’ Etterlene captioned the Facebook post.
Fans took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the the Switch bandmember.
DeBarge’s sister Etterlene DeBarge remembered her late brother with a post of him playing the guitar in the clouds
The R&B and funk band achieved fame following its formation in the late 1970s and went on to release the hit tracks I Call Your Name, Love Over & Over Again, and There’ll Never Be under their belt
Switch consisted of band members Tommy, Bobby, Gregory Williams, Phillip Ingram, Eddie Fluellen, and Jody Sims
The R&B and funk band achieved fame following its formation in the late 1970s and went on to release the hit tracks I Call Your Name, Love Over & Over Again, and There’ll Never Be under their belt.
Switch was founded by Tommy and his brother Bobby and consisted of band members Tommy, Bobby, Gregory Williams, Phillip Ingram, Eddie Fluellen, and Jody Sims.
The band proved to be incredibly influential on future R&B and funk bands, according to TMZ.
Fans took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the the Switch bandmembe
Among the groups impacted by Switch was a band consisting of DeBarge siblings, the aptly named act DeBarge.
Eventually, Bobby and Tommy departed Switch in order to mentor their younger siblings in the family band, according to TMZ.
DeBarge would go on to release six albums, including Rhythm Of The Night, which contained their hit single of the same name, Rhythm Of The Night. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard charts in 1985.
DeBarge and Switch member Bobby passed at age 39 due to complications related to AIDS in 1995, according to The Sun.
