Former Commodores bassist Ronald LaPread has passed away at 75. The Commodores officially debuted in 1974 with their first Motown studio album, Machine Gun. The title track of the album became a major instrumental hit. Co-founding member of the band, Ronald LaPread has died at 75. LaPread's daughter, Los-Angeles based musician, Soraya LaPread confirmed her father's death on her Instagram story on Saturday, with the caption,"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that my father Ronald LaPread has passed."LaPread's cause of death and exact date are not known. In a follow-up post on Sunday, Soraya LaPread said,"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. 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."More about Ronald LaPreadBorn in 1950 in Florida, Ronald LaPread was the co-founding member of the original Commodores when the band signed to Motwon in 1972. All the six founding membets of the band met at Tuskegee Institute, while they were playing for separae bands called the Mystics and the Jays. The original lineup consisted of Ronald 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 band started out by playing in small venues in and around New York City before they were scouted by Mo Town executive Suzanne de Passe. Suzanne de Passe signed them up to open for Michael Jackson's band, Jackson 5. Ronald played with the Commodores for 16 years. During these 16 years, the band released 12 studio albums, won a Grammy and achieved numerous chart-topping hits including Three Times a Lady, Easy and Nightshift. The Commodores in 2025 consisted of original member, William "WAK" King along with Brent Carter, Cody Orange, and Colin Orange. The band continues to perform and most recently dropped out of the Freedom 250 tour. Ronald LaPread lived with his wife, Farideh in Auckland, New Zealand for 40 years and also got involved in the local music scene. His daughter, Soraya LaPread is a songwriter with 16 credits in her name. Soraya is best known for their work with K-pop girl group, BLACKPINK.