Ronald LaPread Dies: Former Commodores Bassist Was 75

Ronald LaPread, the former bassist of the Commodores, has died. He was 75.

On Saturday, Ronald’s daughter Soraya LaPread announced that her father died with a statement on her Instagram Story. The cause of death was not immediately made available.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I must announce that my father Ronald LaPread has passed,” wrote Soyala.

The New Zealand Heraldthe local paper where Ronald lived for 40 years, reported that he died after a “sudden medical event.”

Born Sept. 4, 1950 in Florida, Ronald LaPread was one of the original Commodores when they were signed to Motown in ’72, led by Lionel Richie.

“It’s good to be remembered, but you must also know, that these people are human and they are fallible. They make mistakes, they get sick, they die, they get hooked on drugs,” LaPread recently mused on fame in an interview. “This will blow your mind. You will get into a fictitious life that’s not the real one. It’s not the real one.”

LaPread’s death comes after the group dropped out of Freedom 250. He was not part of the current lineup, leaving the group in 1986 and relocating to Auckland, NZ.