GhLinks Media
Fred White born Frederick Eugene Adams has died at the age of 67.
White’s brother, Verdine, announced yesterday (January 1).
On Instagram, Verdine White wrote that his sibling “joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels.”
He continued:
View this post on Instagram
No cause of death was given.
Who was Fred White?
Fred White was an American drummer and one of the early members of Earth, Wind & Fire.
He previously played drums on Donny Hathaway’s Live album.
His arrival in the band in 1974 installed him in the twin-drummer engine room of a hitmaking powerhouse; the band’s commercial heyday began a year later with “Shining Star,” a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.
With a mix of rousing ballads and body-moving soul, Earth, Wind & Fire became pop figureheads of the disco era.
Songs like 1976’s “Saturday Nite” established the band as a transatlantic success even before “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” caused international sensations later in the decade.
White left the group in the early 1980s but returned for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2000.
He continued to sing with artists including Diana Ross and Bonnie Raitt, most recently on Ross’ 2021 comeback album.
