Fred Simon obit

R.I.P. Fred Simon, the last original member of The Lost Generation

 He was not on the list.

(April 3, 2026) The post on the Facebook page of the classic R&B group The New Lost Generation this afternoon gave us the bad news about group co-founder Fred Simon.

It’s taken me a minute to be able to write this post. So with a very heavy heart, my husband Fred Simon, the last original member and one of the founding members of The Lost Generation and New Lost Generation has died.

Few Chicago-based vocal groups of the early 1970s captured the blend of streetwise soul and social consciousness as effectively as The Lost Generation. Emerging from the Windy City’s fertile soul scene, the group—originally consisting of Simon and his brother, lead singer Lowrell Simon, along with Jesse and Leslie Dean and Larry Brownlee—crafted a sound that married tight harmonies with insightful lyrics. Their 1970 Brunswick Records debut album introduced audiences to their biggest hit, “The Sly, Slick and the Wicked,” a track that would become a staple of Chicago soul and later a favorite for hip-hop sampling.

Fred Simon’s steady presence helped anchor the group’s harmonies, and his collaborative instincts were key during their formative years under producer Carl Davis. The Lost Generation followed up with hits like  “Someday” and “Talking the Teenage Language” through the middle of the 1970s.

After the breakup of the original group, Fred Simon became central to the formation of The New Lost Generation, a reimagined version of the act that carried forward the original’s sound well into subsequent decades. He also toured as part of the legendary act The Chi-Lites for several years. Fred Simon’s role in all thes acts underscores his importance not just as a performer, but as a custodian of a distinct Chicago soul sound that still resonates to this day. May he rest in peace.