Kath was born to Raymond Elmer "Ray" (1912-2003) and Evelyn Meline Haugen Kath (1916-1982) on January 31, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois. He has an older brother, Rod Kath. He was raised in the Norwood Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Kath had a self-admitted history of drug abuse, including alcohol. Seraphine knew that Kath had a high tolerance for drugs, but later recalled Kath telling him, "I'm going to get things under control ... if I don't, this stuff is going to kill me." Chicago bandmates have indicated that he was also increasingly unhappy. However, Guercio has said that Kath was finishing writing a solo album before he died, and Pankow adamantly denies that Kath was suicidal. By 1978, Kath was regularly carrying guns around and enjoyed playing with them. Around 5 p.m. January 23, after a party at the home of roadie and band technician Don Johnson, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, Kath began to play with his guns. He spun his .38 revolver on his finger, put it to his temple, and pulled the trigger. The gun was not loaded. Johnson warned Kath several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semi-automatic 9-mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to Johnson, "Don't worry about it ... look, the clip is not even in it." To assuage Johnson's concerns, Kath showed Johnson the empty magazine. Kath then replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. Apparently unbeknown to Kath, the semi-automatic had a round in the chamber. He died instantly from the gunshot. Kath left a widow, Camelia Kath (born Camelia Emily Ortiz), whom he had married in 1974, and a 2-year-old daughter, Michelle Kath (now Michelle Kath Sinclair). After his death, his widow married and later divorced actor Kiefer Sutherland). Kath is interred near his parents, Ray and Evelyn Kath, in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, in the Gardens of Remembrance. The group's members were devastated over losing Kath and strongly considered disbanding, but were persuaded by Doc Severinsen, musical director of the Tonight Show band, that they should continue. Kath's position as guitarist in Chicago was subsequently filled by Donnie Dacus, then Chris Pinnick, Dawayne Bailey, and Keith Howland. At Chicago concerts, original members Lee Loughnane (trumpet) and Robert Lamm (keyboards) have, on occasion, performed lead vocals originally sung by Terry Kath.

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