The band dissolved once Prince’s solo career took off, and Abrams joined Surprise Package, a New Jersey group.
He scored a small hit in 1984 with the ballad Leave the Message Behind the Door but it was the follow-up, a soulful house mantra called Music Is The Answer, which was his breakout hit and made him a star.
An international dance hit, it earned him a record deal with MCA – which led to the chart hits Trapped and I’m Not Going to Let You.
Abrams continued to feature on the US dance and R&B charts into the mid-1990s, and performed around the world into the new century.
However, he fell upon hard times in his final years, prompting Herbert and house DJ Marshall Jefferson to launch a crowdfunding campaign.
“The Colonel is very ill with no permanent place of his own to live at this time and limited financial resources,” they said at the time.
His music will forever be missed. Rest in peace, Colonel.