Beloved Commodores co-founder Ronald LaPread has sadly died at the age of 75, his daughter confirms. The former bassist for the hit soul band is believed to have passed away after suffering from a "sudden medical event" in Auckland, New Zealand. His devastated daughter, Soraya, confirmed the tragic news in a post on social media on Saturday (May 30).

She emotionally penned: “It’s with a very heavy heart that I must announce that my father Ronald LaPread has passed," on her Instagram Story. LaPread recently mused on fame in an interview, as he spoke about life after death. He said: “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. 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 had been residing in New Zealand since the 1980s – roughly the same period he departed from the band.

He was a founding member of the Commodores alongside Lionel Richie, Walter "Clyde" Orange, William "WAK" King, Milan Williams, and Thomas McClary. The group were a legendary Motown outfit – shifting millions of records throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The musician, originally hailing from Alabama, featured on 11 of the band's albums and helped create hits including Brick House, Three Times a Lady, and Easy.

Initially known as The Mystics when the members were students at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, they subsequently released numerous memorable tracks.

LaPread later reunited with The Commodores and Lionel Richie when they toured New Zealand in recent years, including a performance at Spark Arena last year. He remained close with his former bandmates.

LaPread's death follows the group's withdrawal from Freedom 250. He was not part of the current line-up, having left the band in 1986.

The musician leaves behind his wife, two sons and daughter Soraya.