Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White died Sunday. He was 67.
His brother and bandmate Verdine White made the announcement via Instagram but did not reveal the cause of death.
“Dearest Family Friends and Fans… Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member, our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White 🙏🏾🙏🏾💔💔🥁🥁,” Verdine, 71, captioned a carousel of photos of Fred and the band over the years.
“He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels! 🥁🥁.”
Verdine went on to call Fred — who was one of the R&B group’s original nine members — a “child protégé … with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!”
“But more than that at home and beyond he was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous!” Verdine made sure to add of “brother number 4 in the family lineup ❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
Verdine also noted that he and his family “could always count on [Fred] to make a seemingly bad situation more light hearted 🙏🏾😍🙏🏾.”
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Fellow musicians and fans alike flooded the post with kind messages.
“Sending my love and deepest condolences to you and the family,” Lenny Kravitz wrote. “I was blessed to have been in his presence and blessed to have been influenced by him. A true king. Rest in power.”
Fred played drums on some of Earth, Wind & Fire’s biggest songs, including “September,” “Boogie Wonderland,” “Saturday Night” and “Shining Star.”
The Grammy-winning band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.