The man behind some of the world’s biggest hits like Boogie Wonderland, September and Let’s Groove, Maurice White has died at age 74. He was the founder of the sensational Earth, Wind & Fire and passed away in his sleep overnight.
Our brother Maurice White passed peacefully in his sleep this morning.
The light is he, shining on you and me. pic.twitter.com/ppWTHKUyG6
— Earth, Wind & Fire (@EarthWindFire) February 4, 2016
Earth, Wind & Fire sold more than 90 million albums worldwide throughout their esteemed career since starting in the 1960’s, and their hit song September has gone onto become one of the most popular wedding songs in history. The last time White toured with the group was in 1994, as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in the late ’80s.
Taking to Twitter (above) and Facebook, White’s brother Verdine said in his announcement that Maurice was his “brother, hero and best friend” before asking for the family’s privacy to be respected in this time.
Naturally, the announcement has rocked the music world, which continues to be shaken from a string of deaths including Motorhead‘s Lemmy, The Eagles‘ Glenn Frey and the one and only David Bowie.
Questlove, QTip, Bootsy Collins and more have taken to Twitter to pass on their condolences and messages of grief at this news, as the world begins to mourn one of funk’s true forefathers.
Maurice was everything…..Everything.
— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) February 4, 2016
Damn all of my Heroes are moving on…. EWF was the blueprint for tribe … R.I.P. To the genius that was Maurice White
— QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) February 4, 2016
"Maurice White", legend, pioneer, life long friend. Our condolences to the White family & friends. Share yr… https://t.co/tiLi8hf2Nn
— Bootsy Collins (@Bootsy_Collins) February 4, 2016
Rest in peace, Maurice White. Thank you for the music.
Image via Billboard