Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White dies aged 67

Drummer Fred E. White, an early member of the US funk and soul band Earth, Wind & Fire, has died at the age of 67. The announcement was made in a social media post by White's older brother Verdine White, a vocalist, percussionist and bass player in the band. No cause of death was given. 

Fred White was born in Chicago in 1955, and took up the drums at an early age, touring with established artists while still a teenager.

He joined Earth, Wind & Fire, founded by his brother Maurice White, in 1974, becoming one of the band's two drummers. That helped form the backbone of the band's sound, which incorporated elements of jazz, funk, R&B, soul, dance, pop and rock and earned them several now-classic chart hits, including songs like "Shining Star," "September" and "Boogie Wonderland."

They also gained a reputation for electrifying live shows and became the first Black band to play a sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden. 

White left the band in the early 1980s and worked with a number of other performers, but joined Earth, Wind & Fire for their induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Maurice White died in 2016 at the age of 74.