Colonel Abrams – a pioneer of the house music genre – has died at 67.

The tragic news of Abrams’s passing from undisclosed causes on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) was announced days later on Facebook by DJ Tony ‘Tune’ Herbert.

“He is at peace and our condolences go out to his family, and fans worldwide, he is no longer suffering or Trapped,” Herbert wrote to his Facebook followers.

Although a massive house and dance music sensation in the ’80s, Abrams sadly had fallen on hard times in recent years and was homeless (via BBC News).

Abrams was a mainstay of the R&B genre from the late 1960s, and even played in the short-lived group 94 East with future superstar Prince in 1976.

He and brother Morris were the leaders of Conservative Manor, before Colonel moved more towards house and dance with his solo career by the mid-’80s.

It was his single ‘Trapped’ that reached number-three on the UK singles chart in 1985, and he also scored hits with ‘I’m Not Gonna Let You’, ‘Music Is The Answer’ and ‘I’m Not Gonna Let You’.

‘How Soon We Forget’ was not only a hit on the pop charts, but also crossed over for soul fans in the US and the UK.

Sadly, he suffered more ill health and financial trouble in recent years – with fans including DJ Marshall Jefferson starting a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his diabetes medication last year.