Commodores co-founder and bassist Ronald LaPread (Photo courtesy of Musicmaddness.com)

Ronald LaPread, co-founder of the R&B group the Commodores with Lionel Richie, has died, according to TMZ.

He was 75.

LaPread died at his home in New Zealand following a brief illness.

LaPread was a bassist for the Commodores from 1968 to 1986.

Ronald founded the Commodores alongside Richie, Walter “Clyde” Orange, William “WAK” King, Milan Williams, and Thomas McClary in 1968 while they were students at Tuskegee Institute. T

They originally called themselves The Mystics.

The musician, originally from Alabama, played on 11 of the group’s albums and contributed to hits such as “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady,” and “Easy.”
Ronald joined the group for some concerts in New Zealand over the years, and most recently played with them on stage during their tour in 2025.

The Commodores were one of Motown’s most successful acts of the 1970s and 1980s and sold more than 70 Million albums across the globe.

But, they experienced a great deal of turbulence after Lionel departed from the group in the early ’80s.