LaPread helped vault the iconic soul and funk act to the top of the charts many times over, on hits like “Brick House” and “Easy.”

Ronald LaPread, bassist and cofounder of the Commodores, dies at 75

LaPread helped vault the iconic soul and funk act to the top of the charts many times over, on hits like "Brick House" and "Easy."

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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May 31, 2026 10:09 p.m. ET

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Ronald LaPread in Los Angeles in 2004. Credit:

Raymond Boyd/Getty

- Ronald LaPread, the former bassist for and cofounder of iconic soul and funk group the Commodores, has died at 75.

- LaPread's daughter, Soraya, confirmed his death on social media, writing, "I am devastated. A piece of me is gone from this world."

- The Commodores cofounders met at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, going on to become Grammy winners.

Ronald LaPread, who cofounded iconic soul and funk group the Commodores and played bass on many of their biggest hits, has died. He was 75.

LaPread's daughter, the Los Angeles-based musician Soraya LaPread, confirmed her father's death in a now expired post to her Instagram story on Saturday that read, "It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed."

The Grammy winner and soul pioneer's cause and exact date of death are not yet known. LaPread was a longtime resident of New Zealand, where he settled after leaving the Commodores. He died in Auckland and his death came as a shock to friends, including *Newstalk ZB* host and close friend Tim Roxborogh, who noted, "He just always looked so good and so healthy," the *New Zealand Herald* reported on Saturday.

Soraya LaPread on Instagram in 2026.

Soraya LaPread/Instagram

In a follow-up post shared Sunday, Soraya LaPread remembered her father with an emotional message.

"We were the best daddy daughter duo. If you know me you know my Dad. I am devastated. A piece of me is gone from this world. I have never felt a pain so deep in my life," she wrote. "It's because he loved me so unconditionally and so deeply that the loss is indescribable. Please pray for my Dad to be in the highest heaven... Do as he did and be kind to each other."

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The comment section under Ronald LaPread's last post to the platform — a video reminiscence of Bob Marley opening for the Commodores at Madison Square Garden, shared just two days before his death was announced — quickly became a sounding board for heartsick fans.

"Thank You for everything Sir.. standing ovation," one fan wrote, while another shared, "Zoom on and Rest in Paradise Ron."

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Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, Walter Orange, and Ronald La Pread of the Commodores perform in 1979.

Mike Prior/Redferns

LaPread was born in Tuskegee, Ala., on Sept. 4, 1950. It was in that town, known for the historically Black Tuskegee University, as well as a storied legacy of civil rights activism, that LaPread met the future members of the Commodores.

All six founding members met at the college, then called the Tuskegee Institute, playing for separate bands called the Mystics and the Jays. The acts played the same local haunts and campus functions before merging into a supergroup that would alter the course of modern music history. The original lineup consisted of LaPread on bass, Lionel Richie on saxophone, Walter "Clyde" Orange on drums, Thomas McClary on guitar, Milan Williams on keyboards, and William King on trumpet.

The young jazz enthusiasts began playing small venues in and around New York City, before they were noticed by MoTown executive Suzanne de Passe, who signed them up to open for the Jackson 5. Through LaPread's run, which ended in 1986, the Commodores released 12 studio albums, won a Grammy (out of nine total nominations), and achieved numerous chart-topping hits, including "Easy," "Three Times a Lady," "Nightshift," "Brick House," and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)."

Richie split off from the group even earlier to pursue a solo career, but the Commodores reunited several times over the ensuing decades, with Richie last appearing with his former bandmates on stage at the 2009 Essence Music Festival.

LaPread lived with his wife, Farideh, in Auckland for 40 years, becoming involved with the local music scene, to which he'd lend his talents as a bassist.

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