Fred White, former drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire, dies at age 67

Fred White, a former drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire, has died, his brother confirmed on social media. He was 67 years old. 

“Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member, our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White,” Verdine White wrote. “He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels!”   

Fred White played in Earth, Wind & Fire from 1971 until 1984, when the band went on hiatus. Verdine White, the band’s founding bassist, called him “a member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9.”

A cause of death was not immediately given.

According to Pitchfork,cFred White toured as a drummer before he graduated high school and he joined Earth, Wind & Fire before he turned 20. His brother, Maurice White, who died in 2016 at 74, was also a founding member of the band and served as bandleader, principal songwriter and producer and was one of the group’s lead singers. 

The band also confirmed Fred White’s death on its Instagram page, sharing a video clip of White playing a drum solo while the band was in Essen, Germany, during its 1979 world tour. The video shows White smiling and blowing kisses to the crowd as they cheer. 

“We could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more lighthearted,” Verdine White wrote. “He will live in our hearts forever, rest in power beloved Freddie!!”