Ronald LaPread, the bassist credited with helping shape the distinctive funk and soul sound of the Commodores during the 1970s and 1980s, died on May 30 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was 76. LaPread had lived in Auckland since 1986 and passed away in a hospital, according to his friend Tim Roxborogh. The cause of death was not disclosed.

LaPread joined the Commodores in 1970, initially stepping in to fill the role left vacant when the original bassist, Michael Gilbert, was drafted for the Vietnam War. Although primarily a keyboard player at the time, LaPread claimed to Lionel Richie and Thomas McClary that he was an accomplished bassist. Borrowing a friend’s bass guitar, he quickly learned key parts to prepare for his first rehearsal. His playing soon became a foundational element of the group’s sound, combining rhythmic precision with a subtle, unflashy style.

Over 16 years with the Commodores, LaPread’s bass work underpinned many of the band’s top hits, including “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady,” and “Easy.” He was responsible for conceiving most of the band's bass lines and collaborated on tracks like “Too Hot ta Trot” and “Fancy Dancer.” LaPread also wrote songs such as “Gimme My Mule” and “Look What You’ve Done to Me.” A notable collaboration with Lionel Richie led to the song “Zoom,” which drew some inspiration from the cancer diagnosis and subsequent death of LaPread’s first wife, Kathy Hogan, in 1977.

Born on September 4, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama, Ronald Cambrae LaPread was raised in a family with deep roots, including ancestors who had been enslaved. As a youth, he was involved in the civil rights movement, participating in sit-ins alongside figures connected to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and encountering significant resistance, including attacks by dogs and water cannons during protests.

Musically versatile from a young age, LaPread played multiple instruments, including piano, tuba, and sousaphone, and performed in his high school marching band. Prior to joining the Commodores, he performed with local groups while studying electrical engineering at the Tuskegee Institute, where many members of the Commodores also studied.

The band reached mainstream success with LaPread as a core member, but tensions arose in 1982 when Lionel Richie began his solo career. LaPread acknowledged the difficulties of that period, emphasizing the close-knit nature of the group. Richie later praised LaPread as his ideal lifelong bass player.

After leaving the Commodores in 1986, LaPread relocated to New Zealand with his wife Farideh. There, he pursued various ventures including managing boardinghouses, mentoring young musicians, running a home recording studio, and leading the house band on a late-night talk show. He also performed occasionally, including appearances with Richie during tours in New Zealand and a 2023 Commodores concert in Auckland.

LaPread is survived by his wife Farideh, daughter Soraya LaPread, a music producer, son Ronald Jr., stepson Mark Walls, and sister Sharon LaPread.

Reflecting on his bass style, LaPread once described how in recording the 1974 Commodores song “I Feel Sanctified,” he developed the distinctive slap bass technique after repeated takes left his fingers sore, leading him to use his thumb to slap the strings, a method that ultimately became a signature element of the band's groove.