Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White Passes

Maurice White

EARTH, WIND & FIRE Co-Founder MAURICE WHITE died in his sleep THURSDAY morning at the age of 74, TMZ and other media outlets report. He fought a long battle with PARKINSON's, which was originally diagnosed in 1992 and forced him to stop touring with the group in 1994.

Boasting a bevy of hits such as "Shining Star," "September," "Boogie Wonderland" and "After the Love has Gone," the nine-piece horn-driven R&B/pop ensemble sold over 90 million albums and was inducted into the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME in 2000. MAURICE was individually inducted into the SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME in 2010.

According to ABC NEWS, brother and band co-founder VERDINE WHITE told the AP, "My brother, hero and best friend MAURICE WHITE passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes."

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