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Sumler, who was known as Chicago Mike, had performed Sunday evening in Mableton, Ga., with the group Con Funk Shun, whose Michael Cooper paid tribute to Sumler on social media.

In early April, hundreds of Cobb County residents gathered for the “Taste of Mableton,” a first-of-its-kind spring festival, featuring food trucks, live performances and booths for dozens of community groups.

State Rep. Ed Setzler, a Republican sponsor of the East Cobb and Lost Mountain cityhood referendums, pushed back on demographic concerns, saying at a legislative hearing in January that he would also support a referendum on cityhood for Mableton, another area of Cobb County that is mostly Black and Hispanic.

A bill for Mableton is pending at the state Capitol but has yet to be voted on by the full House or Senate.

Sylvester “Syl” Johnson, a leading Chicago blues and soul singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer whose music was widely sampled by top hip-hop rappers and DJs, died Feb. 6 at a daughter’s home in Mableton, Ga. He was 85.