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Friday, February 5, 2016 2:38am ET by  
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Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White dies aged 74

Earth, Wind & Fire founding member Maurice White has passed away.

The musician died aged 74 on Thursday (February 4) after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

White acted as Earth, Wind & Fire's main songwriter, producer and co-lead singer after they formed in 1969.

The Grammy award winning star was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He developed Parkinson's disease in the late 1980s, which forced him to stop touring in 1994.

White, however, kept executive control of Earth, Wind & Fire in the years following.

Brother and bandmate Verdine White reflected about Maurice to Billboard, saying:

"Even after he stopped touring I'd talk to him about music and we talk about where the world is today and stuff like that.

 

 

 

"We don't reminisce too much, but we'll be like, 'Good work, baby,' stuff like that. That's how we sort of acknowledge each other. I saw him on his birthday, right around Christmas, and he always gives me a big hug.

"He was never a very emotional guy. He was never like that. He was always like, 'We're doing good. Let's keep doing it, man'. But now he always hugs me whenever I leave his house and says, 'We done good', and that says it all for me."

A host of other musicians have also paid tribute to White, with Pharrell Williams tweeting:

"Maurice White was a major musical force - @EarthWindFire has influenced so many artists. We have lost a unique and beautiful voice."

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Watch Earth, Wind & Fire in action below:

 

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