{"id":4156,"date":"2026-05-31T21:28:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/ronald-lapread-co-founder-of-legendary-group-the-commodores-dead-at-75\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:28:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:28:59","slug":"ronald-lapread-co-founder-of-legendary-group-the-commodores-dead-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/ronald-lapread-co-founder-of-legendary-group-the-commodores-dead-at-75\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronald LaPread, co-founder of legendary group the Commodores, dead at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F05%2F129328383.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ronald LaPread, the bassist who co-founded the Commodores, has died.<\/p>\n<p>LaPread\u2019s daughter Sonya shared the news in an Instagram Story Saturday, writing, \u201cIt is with a heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though she didn\u2019t share any details about his death, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/entertainment\/bass-player-for-the-commodores-ronald-lapread-dies-aged-75\/ZIVFA442EVAJ5P3EILYAWQMNSM\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the New Zealand Herald <\/a>reported that he died after a \u201ca sudden medical event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LaPread was 75 years old.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><figcaption>The Commodores co-founder Ronald LaPread, pictured here in June 2004, has died. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>His daughter Sonya shared the news in an Instagram Story Saturday. He was 75 years old. <span class=\"credit\">Soraya LaPread\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The musician co-founded the Commodores in 1968 alongside Lionel Richie, Walter Orange, William King, Milan Williams, and Thomas McClary. The band members met while attending the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>After they signed with Motown in 1972, they became one of the label\u2019s most successful funk and soul groups. Their biggest hits include \u201cThree Times a Lady,\u201d \u201cBrick House\u201d and \u201cNightshift.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The Commodores have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>LaPread played bass for The Commodores, which also included William King, Thomas McClary, Walter \u201cClyde\u201d Orange, Lionel Richie and Milan Williams. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The group, pictured here in 1986, are best known for hits like \u201cThree Times a Lady\u201d and \u201cNightshift.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Gentle Look via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>They won a Grammy in 1986 for Best R&amp;B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for \u201cNightshift.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LaPread was in the group from 1970 to 1986. He later relocated to New Zealand, where he had lived for the past 40 years.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Lee, the Mayor of Tuskegee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MayorChrisLee\/posts\/pfbid02wYwL75pMTTa2e15T4iiPax19ik57J2dcfU2pxgqjm39PLopjAT1gZeqH3yB9isRYl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared a message <\/a>on social media Saturday paying tribute to LaPread.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>LaPread was in the group, pictured here in 1977, from 1970 to 1986. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>He later relocated to New Zealand, where he lived for four decades. He\u2019s seen here with Rick James and his bandmate Williams in June 2004. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe City of Tuskegee mourns the passing of Ronald LaPread, legendary bassist of Tuskegee\u2019s very own Commodores and one of our community\u2019s most distinguished native sons,\u201d the statement read. \u201cRon received his musical start while attending Tuskegee Institute High School and later Tuskegee University, where he helped build the foundation for a remarkable career that would impact music fans around the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis talent, dedication, and success brought pride to Tuskegee and served as an inspiration to generations of young people who followed in his footsteps,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRonald LaPread\u2019s music and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/31\/celebrity-news\/ronald-lapread-co-founder-of-legendary-group-the-commodores-dead-at-75\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ronald LaPread, the bassist who co-founded the Commodores, has died. LaPread\u2019s daughter Sonya shared the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/129328383.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}