Maria Puente

USA TODAY

Corrections & clarifications: An earlier version of this story contained a photo that misidentified Maurice White.

Maurice White, the founder and leader of the legendary R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 74.

White died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, his brother, group bassist Verdine White, said on Twitter and Facebook, posting a striking picture of his brother in front of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt.

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"My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," Verdine White said on Facebook. "While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank youfor your prayers and well wishes."

In 2000, just before EW&F was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Maurice White disclosed to Rolling Stone that he had Parkinson's disease. He was then 58 and had been diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disease eight years before but opted to keep it secret.

White announced in 1995 that he would no longer tour or perform with the group, leading to speculation about his health. But he remained active as a producer and songwriter.

"I just got tired of not talking about it," White told Rolling Stone in 2000. "I had pretty much disappeared from the scene; a lot of people had not seen me in a long time, and they started wondering what was happening."

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