{"id":927,"date":"2026-05-31T21:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=927"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:38:08","slug":"ronald-lapread-co-founder-of-legendary-group-the-commodores-dead-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=927","title":{"rendered":"Ronald LaPread, co-founder of legendary group the Commodores, dead at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Ronald LaPread, the bassist who co-founded the Commodores, has died.<\/p>\n

LaPread\u2019s daughter Sonya shared the news in an Instagram Story Saturday, writing, \u201cIt is with a heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Though she didn\u2019t share any details about his death, the New Zealand Herald reported that he died after a \u201ca sudden medical event.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaPread was 75 years old.<\/p>\n

The musician co-founded the Commodores in 1968 alongside Lionel Richie, Walter Orange, William King, Milan Williams, and Thomas McClary. The band members met while attending the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.<\/p>\n

After they signed with Motown in 1972, they became one of the label\u2019s most successful funk and soul groups. Their biggest hits include \u201cThree Times a Lady,\u201d \u201cBrick House\u201d and \u201cNightshift.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Commodores have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.<\/p>\n

They won a Grammy in 1986 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for \u201cNightshift.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaPread was in the group from 1970 to 1986. He later relocated to New Zealand, where he had lived for the past 40 years.<\/p>\n

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Chris Lee, the Mayor of Tuskegee, shared a message on social media Saturday paying tribute to LaPread.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe City of Tuskegee mourns the passing of Ronald LaPread, legendary bassist of Tuskegee\u2019s very own Commodores and one of our community\u2019s most distinguished native sons,\u201d the statement read. \u201cRon received his musical start while attending Tuskegee Institute High School and later Tuskegee University, where he helped build the foundation for a remarkable career that would impact music fans around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis talent, dedication, and success brought pride to Tuskegee and served as an inspiration to generations of young people who followed in his footsteps,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cRonald LaPread\u2019s music and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ronald LaPread, the bassist who co-founded the Commodores, has died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRonald LaPread, co-founder of legendary group the Commodores, dead at 75 - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=927\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ronald LaPread, co-founder of legendary group the Commodores, dead at 75 - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ronald LaPread, the bassist who co-founded the Commodores, has died.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=927\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-31T21:38:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Ronald LaPread, co-founder of legendary group the Commodores, dead at 75\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-31T21:38:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927\"},\"wordCount\":367,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08885da089ddca3f1d68262a1a239255.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Celebrity News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=927\",\"name\":\"Ronald LaPread, co-founder of legendary group the Commodores, dead at 75 - 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