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Earth, Wind & Fire Founder Maurice White Dead At 74

NEW YORK, N.Y., (CBS/AP) -- Maurice White, the founder and leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died.

White died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, said his brother, Verdine White. He was 74.

A former session drummer, White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in the late 1960s. The group went sold more than 90 million albums worldwide, displaying a flashy and eclectic musical style that incorporated his influences from growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, and at the influential Chicago music labels Chess and Okeh.

Verdine White posted the following post to the group's Facebook page:

My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost...

Posted by Earth, Wind & Fire on Thursday, February 4, 2016

The band's many hits included "September," ''Shining Star," a cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You into My Life" and "Boogie Wonderland." Earth, Wind & Fire won six Grammys and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Earth, Wind & Fire had upcoming tour dates scheduled for our area including Hershey, PA on April 6 and Allentown, PA on April 10.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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