Fred White, former drummer of Earth Wind & Fire, has died at the age of 67.
“Child protégé, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!” his brother and bandmate Verdine White wrote in an Instagram post that announced Fred’s passing.
After getting his start drumming for Donny Hathaway, Fred White joined his brothers Verdine and Maurice White in Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974. He played on eight of the group’s albums, beginning with 1975’s That’s the Way of the World through 1983’s Electric Universe, and can be heard on such classic songs as “Shining Star,” “September,” and “Boogie Wonderland.”
As a member of Earth, Wind & Fire, White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Fred was proceeded in death by his brother Maurice in 2016. The group’s longtime saxophonist, Andrew Woolfork, passed away in April 2022.
