Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White dies at 74

Maurice White, the leader and co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 74.

His brother and bandmate, Verdine White, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. Maurice White was born Dec. 19, 1941, in Memphis, and started singing in his church choir at a young age. He later took up drumming, and studied composition at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. After working as a session drummer, he moved to Los Angeles in 1969 with a band called the Salty Peppers, which went on to become the soul group Earth, Wind & Fire. "In the beginning, my message was basically trying to relate to the community," he told the Chicago Tribune in 1988. "From that it grew into more of a universal consciousness; the idea was to give the people something that was useful."

Known for such hits as "Shining Star," "September," and "Boogie Wonderland," Earth, Wind & Fire won six Grammy Awards, had six double-platinum albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. White stopped touring with the group in the 1990s, after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the Los Angeles Times reports.

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