5:41 PM PT — Tommy’s daughter, Marina DeBarge, tells TMZ … he also battled COVID-19 earlier this year, in addition to kidney and liver disease, but never complained about the pain and recovered from the virus.
She says she even spoke to him Wednesday, not long before his death, and he fought until the end.
Tommy DeBarge — a member of the R&B/funk band Switch — and part of the music industry’s famed DeBarge family has died.
A family member tells us Tommy has suffered from liver and kidney failure over the years, but recently took a turn for the worse. We’re told he was hospitalized a couple weeks ago, and died in the hospital Thursday.
DeBarge rose to fame in Switch in the mid to late ’70s — the group recorded hits like “There’ll Never Be,” “I Call Your Name” and “Love Over & Over Again.”
Tommy and his brother, Bobby, were founding members of the group, which had a huge influence on future bands in the genre, including DeBarge … the group composed of their siblings.
Bobby and Tommy left Switch to mentor their younger brothers and sister in DeBarge, but Bobby died of AIDS-related complications in 1995.
Tommy was 64.
RIP
Originally Published — 4:05 PM PT