Ronald LaPread, Bassist and Co-Founder of the Commodores, Dies at 75

Ronald LaPread, a founding member and original bassist of the Commodores, died Saturday following a sudden medical event in Auckland, New Zealand. He was 75. His daughter, Soraya LaPread, confirmed the news on social media. LaPread had lived in New Zealand for the past 40 years.

LaPread co-founded the group—first known as the Mystics—at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama alongside Lionel Richie, Walter “Clyde” Orange, William King, Milan Williams, and Thomas McClary. They signed to Motown in 1972, and LaPread’s basslines anchored a run of crossover hits that defined the label’s late-’70s sound: “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Easy.” He appears on 11 Commodores albums and stayed with the band until 1986, when he relocated permanently to New Zealand.

His connection to the group never fully dissolved. When the Commodores toured New Zealand in recent years, LaPread joined them on stage, including a stop at Auckland’s Spark Arena last year with Richie. Tuskegee Mayor Chris Lee released a statement noting LaPread “helped build the foundation for a remarkable career that would impact music fans around the world,” adding that his legacy would inspire generations. The bassist’s death arrives in a moment of broader reflection for the band: the current Commodores lineup recently announced it would not perform at a political event on the National Mall, stating that their music was their voice and they chose not to align with any single party.