Maurice White, the founder and leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, said his brother, Verdine White. He was 74.
A former session drummer, Maurice founded Earth, Wind & Fire in the late 1960s. The group sold more than 90 million albums worldwide, displaying a flashy and eclectic musical style that incorporated his influences from growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, and at the influential Chicago music labels Chess and Okeh.
The band’s many hits included September, Shining Star, a cover of the Beatles’ Got to Get You into My Life and Boogie Wonderland. Earth, Wind & Fire won six Grammys and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Tributes poured in from all corners of the entertainment industry.
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
the greatest funk/boogie band of all-time just lost its leader Maurice White….RIP https://t.co/e745EPDekA
— Gilles Peterson (@gillespeterson) February 4, 2016
RIP Maurice White. Sleep well. #EarthWindAndFire 😢
— Damon Wayans Yunior? (@wayansjr) February 4, 2016
Oh no….. Maurice White, Earth Wind &Fire maestro passes. RIP, and thank you for the music xxxx
— Mark King (@King42Mark) February 4, 2016
Rest in Peace Mr Maurice White. #EarthWindAndFire condolences to the family.
— Estelle (@EstelleDarlings) February 4, 2016
and to Maurice White: endless thanks for a lifetime of giving freely of the gift that you were giving and the talent you nurtured.
— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) February 4, 2016
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