Ronald LaPread, Founding Bassist of The Commodores, Dies at 75

Ronald LaPread, founding bassist and a key architect of The Commodores’ early funk-soul sound, has died at 75. Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, he helped the group rise from local gigs to Motown stardom with hits like Machine Gun, Brick House, and Zoom—the latter inspired by his wife Cathy’s death during surgery. After Nightshift and Lionel Richie’s departure, LaPread left the band and later moved to New Zealand, where he continued to perform for decades.