Maurice White, Earth, Wind and Fire vocalist and co-founder died in his sleep in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. He was 74. The singer had battled Parkinson’s disease since 1992. Because of the disease, he had not toured with the pioneering soul and R&B group since 1994. He nevertheless remained active on the business side of the group. His health had reportedly deteriorated in recent months.
“Being joyful and positive was the whole objective of our group,” White once said, according to SongwriterUniverse. “Our goal was to reach all the people and to keep a universal atmosphere – to create positive energy. All of our songs had that positive energy. To create uplifting music was the objective.”
