Earth, Wind & Fire soul Maurice White dies

White, 74, died in his sleep in Los Angeles on Thursday morning. He suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

His band had a series of hits including September, Boogie Wonderland, Shining Star and After the Love has Gone.

The singer-songwriter was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1992 but his condition was reported to have got worse in recent months.

Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and Maurice was individually inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010.

Popularly known by his nickname of Reese, he worked with various well-known recording artists such as The Emotions, Barbra Streisand, Cher and Neil Diamond.

"My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," Verdine White, also a member of the band, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

"While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes."

The group tweeted: "Our brother Maurice White passed peacefully in his sleep this morning. The light is he, shining on you and me.

Earth, Wind & Fire

• A nine-piece band centred around the two White brothers and singer Philip Bailey
• The band's most successful period began with the 1975 album That's The Way of The World
• They remained prominent in the charts for at least a decade afterwards
• White publicly revealed he was suffering from Parkinson's at the time of the band's Hall of Fame induction
• He stopped touring with the band in 1995 because of a combination of tiredness and health problems