He died at his home in Los Angeles Wednesday night.
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White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in Chicago in the late 1960s, alongside his brothers Verdine and Fred White.
The world is mourning the loss of another musical titan of the late 20th century in the wake of the news that Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White has died in Los Angeles at the age of 74.
“Thank you for your prayers and well wishes”, he added.
After becoming a studio percussionist at Chess Records in Chicago, he played with stars such as Booker T Jones, Etta James and Muddy Waters.
Maurice is also a part of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame. “R.I.P. To the genius that was Maurice White”. Throughout his career, White was recognized by his band mates and collaborators as the soul of the group, its primary songwriter and “pace setter”. He also co-wrote and co-produced the Emotions’ No. 1 hit, “Best of My Love”.
He was born on December 1941 in Memphis, Tennesse.
“We let the artists choose whatever song was most important to them”, White said in a 2007 Atlanta Journal-Consitution interview.
Maurice White (right) and brother Verdine in a rare appearance at the 2004 Grammy Awards. Maurice White, the founder and leader of Earth, Wind &a… Despite his illness, he continued writing, performing, and producing, having appeared at Byron Bay Bluesfest in 2012 and worked on Earth, Wind & Fire’s 21st album, Holiday, which released in 2014. “I had pretty much disappeared from the scene; a lot of people had not seen me in a long time, and they started wondering what was happening”.
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Earth, Wind & Fire triumphed with a string of hits in the 1970s including September, Shining Star, After the Love Has Gone and Boogie Wonderland. “I started EWF because I had a vision and music was playing in my head that I wanted to bring through”, White told Billboard. The group is due to be honored this year with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Your contributions to music will be kept in our hearts and souls forever”.
