Fred White, Earth Wind & Fire drummer during 1970s hit streak, dies at 67

Fred White, one of two drummers for soul band Earth Wind & Fire during the decade the most successful in its history, 1974-84, died Monday at age 67. No cause of death was given.

White was part of a family legacy at the heart of it all, as Verdine's brother White and half-brother of Maurice Blanc. Although he had long since left the band, in 2000 he was inducted along with other core members into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In addition to performing on classic EWF albums beginning with "This Is the Way of the world" in 1975 until "Electric Universe" in 1983, White also played drums on 1970s albums by artists such as Little Feat, Donny Hathaway, the Emotions and Deniece Williams.

The death was announced by Verdine White on Instagram. “Dear friends and family fans….. Our family is saddened today by the loss of an incredible and talented family member, our beloved brother Frederick Eugene 'Freddie' White,” Verdine wrote. “He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte and Ronald in paradise and now plays the drum with the angels! Protected child, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16! He was brother number 4 in the family. But more than that at home and beyond, he was the wonderful brother who was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous!"

Verdine White continued in her post, "And could always be counted on to make a seemingly bad situation lighter! He will live on in our hearts forever, rest in power beloved Freddie!! We thank you all for your love, blessings and support at this time. Fly high baby brother, we love you till to the shining [stars] and back!"

Other music giants chimed in with responses on Verdine's post. "Sending my love and deepest condolences to you and the family," Lenny Kravitz wrote. "I have been blessed to have been in his presence and to have been influenced by him. A true king. Rest in power. Nile Rodgers wrote, "Sincere condolences, love and respect." "Love", simply replied Questlove.

The current edition of Earth Wind & Fire includes three members of the classic line of 70s: Verdine White on bass, Philip Bailey on vocals and Ralph Johnson on drums and percussion. Maurice White, the band's frontman, died in 2016. Another member of this key period, saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk, died in April 2022.

Johnson shared drum duties with Fred White during their decade-long tenure in the band together . "Having two drummers on stage was key to the band's big sound," Drum magazine wrote.

Given Fred White's young age relative to the band's longevity, he's not surprising that the drummer entered music full-time as a teenager, meeting Hathaway at age 15 and going on tour with him. This stint culminated in White's appearance on "Donny Hathaway Live", considered one of the essential live albums of the soul era, even before he joined his brothers in EWF.

On Instagram, the official EWF account shared a video of White doing a drum solo "during our performance of 'Runnin',' on our 1979 World Tour, at the Rockpalast in Essen, Germany. Rest in Love. Below this initial message, Verdine White apologized for the having served as the first announcement of his brother's death. "Friends and fans, sorry this information was released before I could make an official statement," Verdine wrote in it. "Yes, we all mourn the loss, in especially Fred's family. Thank you for your love, blessings and condolences."

It's also hard to believe, given the enduring popularity of so many songs of the group's songs, only one of their hits, "Shinin' Star," went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But eight of their singles topped the R&B charts, including "September" and the Beatles cover "Got to Get You Into My Life,” both in 1978. Their other top 10 Hot 100 singles included the 1979 hits “Boogie Wonderland” (#6) and “After the Love is Gone” (#2). "September", which concerns only...