Fred White, who joined his brother Verdine and half-brother Maurice in Earth, Wind & Fire passed away this past weekend. He was 67.
Verdine White made the announcement in an Instagram post Sunday night. Verdine called his younger brother "child protégé...with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!... We could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light hearted!"
Fred White got his professional start on drums at age 14 and joined Donnie Hathaway's band when he was only 16. That lead to a gold record with the album Live. Fred also did sessions for Little Feat and Linda Ronstadt before joining Earth, Wind & Fire so Maurice could move full-time singer.
Fred White played drums on eight Earth, Wind and Fire albums. He played on classics like "Shining Star," "September" and "Boogie Wonderland." He didn't rejoin the group after their three-year hiatus ended in back in 1987. Fred was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2000.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]