Questlove Pays Tribute to Sly Stone: ‘You Will Forever Live'
Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson, who directed the new documentary 'Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius),' has shared a remembrance of the subject of his film, Sly Stone. The 82 year-old died of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and other underlying health issues.
'Sly was a giant — not just for his groundbreaking work with the Family Stone, but for the radical inclusivity and deep human truths he poured into every note,' the Roots drummer wrote on Instagram. 'His songs weren't just about fighting injustice; they were about transforming the self to transform the world. He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries, and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths. His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.'
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As songwriter, producer, arranger, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and showman, Stone and his group Sly and the Family Stone dominated the top of the charts with energetic singles and albums. His life and career were documented in Questlove's film, which also features unfiltered commentary from multiple Black artists about the pressures that come with success.
'Yes, Sly battled addiction,' Questlove continued in Monday's statement. 'Yes, he disappeared from the spotlight. But he lived long enough to outlast many of his disciples, to feel the ripples of his genius return through hip-hop samples, documentaries, and his memoir.' He continued, highlighting two lines spoken and sung by Stone — 'We deserve everything we get in this life,' and ''the eternal cry of 'Everyday People': 'We got to live together!''
Questlove writes, 'Once idealistic, now I hear it as a command. Sly's music will likely speak to us even more now than it did then. Thank you, Sly. You will forever live.' Besides his children with Silva and Robinson, Stone is survived by another daughter, L.A. musician Novena Carmel.
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News24
an hour ago
- News24
Funk-rock pioneer Sly Stone dead at 82
AFP Sly Stone, legendary funk pioneer and frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, died at 82 after battling chronic health issues. Known for breaking racial barriers, he created genre-defining hits like 'Everyday People' and energised Woodstock. Despite struggles with addiction, Stone's musical legacy influenced icons like Prince, Miles Davis, and OutKast. Funkmaster and iconic music innovator Sly Stone, whose songs drove a civil rights-inflected soul explosion in the 1960s, sparking influential albums but also a slide into drug addiction, has died, his family said Monday. He was 82. Stone was the multi-instrumentalist frontman for Sly and the Family Stone - rock's first racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup. He 'passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,' after a prolonged battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other health issues, Stone's family said in a statement. 'While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come,' it added. With his vibrant on-stage energy, killer hooks, and lyrics that often decried prejudice, Stone became a superstar. He released pivotal records that straddled musical genres and performed a memorable set at Woodstock. But he retreated to the shadows in the early 1970s, emerging sporadically for unfulfilling concert tours, erratic TV appearances and a flopped 2006 reunion on the Grammy Awards stage. AFP An effervescent hybrid of psychedelic soul, hippie consciousness, bluesy funk and rock built on Black gospel, Stone's music proved to be a melodic powerhouse that attracted millions during a golden age of exploratory pop - until it fell apart in a spiral of drug use. Over five years, his diverse sound left an indelible impact, from the group's debut 1967 hit Dance to the Music and their first of three number-one songs, Everyday People, a year later, to the 1970s rhythm and blues masterpiece If You Want Me To Stay. For many, Sly was a musical genius creating the sound of the future. It was 'like seeing a Black version of the Beatles,' funk legend George Clinton told CBS News of his longtime friend's stage presence. 'He had the sensibility of the street, the church, and then like the qualities of a Motown,' Clinton added. 'He was all of that in one person.' Huge influence The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted the band in 1993, saying: 'Their songs were more than danceable hits - they were a force for positive change.' But Stone struggled to contain the forces and pressures of fame. He slid into addiction, missed concerts, and his musical output, once bankable, became erratic. The music, though, proved extraordinarily influential, laying the groundwork for Prince, Miles Davis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and OutKast. By 1973, the band imploded. Asked why by talk show host David Letterman a decade later, the elusive star was cryptic: 'I couldn't make all the gigs, is what happened.' Multiple drug-related arrests followed. By 2011, he was homeless and living in a van. In his 2023 memoir, Stone acknowledged he was lost in a deluge of cocaine and PCP but that he finally went clean in 2019. Drugs gave him 'confidence' and energy, he wrote. But he regretted 'the way I let drugs run my life,' he added. 'I thought I could control them, but then, at some point, they were controlling me.' Family affair Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart on 15 March 1943 in Denton, Texas. His parents moved the family to San Francisco's suburbs and built ties with the Church of God in Christ. He was a musical prodigy; by age seven, Stone was proficient at keyboards, and by 11, he played guitar, bass and drums. He sang gospel in church with his sisters and joined high school bands. Stone studied music at California's Solano Community College, worked as a disc jockey and became a songwriter and record producer. He played keyboards for Marvin Gaye. By 1966, Sly and the Family Stone had emerged, with brother Freddie on guitar and vocals, sister Rose on keyboards, and Vaetta on background vocals. White musicians Greg Errico on drums and saxophonist Jerry Martini joined them at a time when such integration was rare. Their first album fell flat. But when influential music executive Clive Davis urged Stone to make a more commercial record, the band stormed up the charts in 1968, with Everyday People reaching number one. 'We got to live together,' Stone belted out. It was a period of tumult in America, with civil rights showdowns, Martin Luther King Jr's assassination and anti-war riots. 'I was scared. At the time, it was almost too much all at once,' Stone, who was survived by a son and two daughters, once told an interviewer. In 1969, Stone and his band released the album 'Stand!' It was a commercial triumph, including the summer smash of the same name, which became a touchstone for Black empowerment. That year, they played a frenetic post-midnight set before half a million people at Woodstock. More than a generation later, the 2025 documentary SLY LIVES: AKA, the Burden of Black Genius shed light on one of soul music's groundbreaking figures. 'Sly opened the floodgates for all musicians of colour,' music producer Terry Lewis said in the film, 'to just do whatever they felt like.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sly Stone, Sly and the Family Stone Frontman, Dead at 82
Sly Stone has died. He was 82 The rocker was known for Sly and the Family Stone hits like "Dance to the Music" and "Everyday People" "While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come," his family said in a statementSly Stone, the leader of the band Sly and the Family Stone, one of the most influential bands in the development of funk, soul, R&B, rock and psychedelic music, has died. He was 82. "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone," his family said in a statement on Monday, June 9. "After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come." The statement continued, "Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music. His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable. In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024." "We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time. We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly's life and his iconic music. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unwavering support," it concluded. Sly and the Family Stone's membership included two of his actual siblings, and they released massive hits like "Dance to the Music,' "Everyday People" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).' However, his drug use and behavior affected the group, which split up for good in the '80s. Sly was born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, in 1943. The family soon moved to California, where Sly began singing in the church choir from the age of 4, alongside his siblings. His nickname Sly came about when a classmate misspelled his name, and once he changed his stage surname from Stewart to Stone, his siblings Freddie and Rose, both of whom joined him in Sly and the Family Stone, did the same. Sly began performing in bands in high school, then went on to study music theory at Solano Community College. By the mid '60s, he had left school to work as a DJ for San Francisco's KSOL, which became known as KSOUL because of its focus on the soul genre. He also worked with many emerging acts. By 1966, Sly had his band, Sly and the Stoners, and Freddie had his, Freddie and the Stone Souls. They decided to join forces. 'The band had a concept — white and Black together, male and female both, and women not just singing but playing instruments,' Stone wrote in his 2023 memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). 'That was a big deal back then, and it was a big deal on purpose.' Sly and the Family Stone began performing together in 1967 and released their debut album, A Whole New Thing, that year. "It was like seeing the Black version of The Beatles,' funk legend George Clinton told CBS in 2023 of Sly and the Family Stone. 'He had the sensibility of the street, the church, and then, like, the qualities of a Motown, you know, Smokey Robinson — he was all of that in one person." 'Dance to the Music,' also released in 1967, was their first hit single. They released their album of the same name the next year. Stand, released in 1969, became their biggest success, with hits like 'Everyday People,' "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody Is a Star.' They performed at Woodstock that summer. Cynthia Robinson, who played trumpet, recalled to PEOPLE in 1996 about their performance of 'I Want to Take You Higher.' 'It was pouring rain. Freddie got shocked. The equipment was crackling. But Sly was like a preacher. He had half a million people in the palm of his hand.' That same summer, the band also performed at the Harlem Cultural Festival, as documented in Questlove's Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul. However, Sly began to struggle amid heavy drug use. During 1970 and 1971, he missed a third of the band's concerts. In 1974, Sly married Kathy Silva during one of the band's performances at Madison Square Garden. They shared son Sylvester Jr., born a few months before the wedding. Silva told PEOPLE in 1996 of their marriage, 'He beat me, held me captive and wanted me to be in ménages à trois. I didn't want that world of drugs and weirdness.' She continued, 'He'd write me a song or promise to change, and I'd try again. We were always fighting, then getting back together.' But in 1976, his dog bit Sylvester Jr., and Silva divorced him. Sly and Cynthia Robinson shared a daughter, Sylvyette Phunne, born in 1976. He welcomed a third child, Novena, in 1982. Sly and the Family Stone released Greatest Hits in 1970 and There's a Riot Goin' On in 1971, considered one of the most influential albums of all time. But tensions were beginning to boil over in the band. Later albums featured more and more of Stone and less of the rest of the band, and in 1975, they broke up. Sly began working on solo music. "Some people actually believed that I could not finish a project," he told PEOPLE in 1980. "I was pissed off at a lot of things. So much got on my nerves.' His solo efforts were not as successful, and drugs continued to derail his career. In 1983, Sly was arrested for cocaine possession in Florida. He went to rehab in 1996, with Sylvester Jr. telling PEOPLE at the time, 'He went in by choice, to concentrate on getting healthier. He's had problems because he hasn't been able to grow up. He's meant no harm to anyone.' In 1993, Sly and the Family Stone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he kept his distance from the rest of the band, only coming on stage at the end of the induction. Sly mostly remained out of the public eye after that. A rare appearance came at the 2006 Grammy Awards, where a tribute to the band was performed — but he left the stage midway through the performance. He appeared on stage with the band at a handful of performances after that. In 2017, he received the Recording Academy's lifetime achievement award. Sly finally got clean in 2019, after his drug use landed him in the hospital four times in a period of a few weeks. The doctor told him drugs would kill him. 'That time, I not only listened to the doctor but believed him,' he told The Guardian in 2023. 'I realized that I needed to clean up. I concentrated on getting strong so that I could get clean. My kids visited me at the hospital. My grandkids visited me. I left with purpose.' In 2023, he released his memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), named after the band's classic 1970 single. In it, he wrote of other people talking about his life: 'They're trying to set the record straight. But a record's not straight, especially when you're not. It's a circle with a spiral inside it. Every time a story is told, it's a test of memory and motive.… It isn't evil, but it isn't good. It's the name of the game, but a shame just the same.' In 2025, Questlove released the documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), which chronicled the musician's rise and fall. Despite his ups and downs, he told The Guardian in 2023, 'I never lived a life I didn't want to live.' In the film, which premiered at Sundance and is now streaming on Hulu, Stone's son and daughters were interviewed, with Carmel demonstrated just how normal things had become for the star since his wild rock star days. She said that when she asked Stone what he wanted to eat for his birthday, all he asked for was a "big pizza with all of the toppings." 'He's also a big fan of Westerns and cars,' she says. 'He's kind of just like, a standard old Black man.' During a recent Q&A screening of the film, producer Joseph Patel explained that he and Questlove opted not to feature Stone on camera in a new interview in the documentary because it didn't 'feel right' given his frail health. "Ahmir's first thing he said was, 'Let's tell this story with a lot of empathy.' That's not empathetic,' Patel said. "We interviewed Sly for [the Oscar-winning documentary] Summer of Soul in 2020. And he had just gotten clean, and he just — he doesn't have the motor function. He can't speak in full sentences. His eyes reveal a precociousness and a lucidity that's there, but his motor function doesn't exist." While the documentary doesn't skip over Stone's decades-long struggle with substance abuse, Questlove said the "most important part" was to present Stone as a person rather than a personality, because "it's rare that Black people get seen as humans." Sly is survived by his children. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sly Stone, 82, dies after 'prolonged battle' with COPD: Signs, symptoms and risk factors
Sly Stone, the funk icon and frontman of the group Sly and the Family Stone, has died. The 82-year-old musician's family confirmed the death of their "beloved dad" following a "prolonged battle" with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and undisclosed "underlying health issues." "Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,' the family's June 9 statement read. 'While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.' This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, helped pioneer a new sound of funk, pop and rock in the '60s, '70s' and '80s with hits like "Dance to the Music," "Sing a Simple Song" and "Everyday People." Stone and his band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2006. "His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable." the family's statement continued. "In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024." Stone addressed his health issues in a 2023 interview with The Guardian. 'I have trouble with my lungs, trouble with my voice, trouble with my hearing and trouble with the rest of my body, too,' he said. Stone later added that his ailments, "haven't stopped me from hearing music, but they have stopped me from making it." What is COPD is it something you should worry about when it comes to your own health? Read on to learn more about COPD. COPD is a progressive lung disease that causes airways to become swollen and blocked. It's an umbrella term used to describe various lung conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, according to COPD Canada. In chronic bronchitis, the airways in your lungs become inflamed and narrowed. This means eventually, you will develop more mucus, leading to a persistent cough and difficulty breathing. For emphysema, the disease develops over time and involves the gradual damage of tiny air sacs in your lungs called alveoli. The damage eventually causes these air sacs to rupture, reducing the surface area that lets oxygen move through the bloodstream. The most common symptoms of COPD are difficulty breathing, chronic cough (sometimes with mucus) and feeling tired, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Canadian Lung Association added a person with COPD might also present some of the following symptoms: Feeling short of breath Lung infections (like the flu or pneumonia) that may last longer than they would in others Wheezing Losing weight without trying These symptoms can get worse quickly and may be called flare-ups. "These usually last for a few days and often require additional medicine," WHO stated. COPD develops over time, often as a result of a combination of risk factors, according to the WHO. These may include: Smoking or being exposed to second-hand smoke Exposure to dusts, fumes or chemicals in the workplace Indoor air pollution from sources like burning fuel for heat or coal to cook Asthma in childhood Early life events, including poor growth in utero, prematurity or frequent respiratory infections A rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency The Canadian Lung Association indicated adults over age 40 who smoke or previously smoked may be at risk of COPD. "It is important to speak to a healthcare provider if you are at risk of COPD, even if you don't have symptoms or have only mild symptoms," the organization stated. "COPD is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse over time." COPD is severely underdiagnosed, according to the health charity. That's because people living with the disease may not show any symptoms, or they link their symptoms to factors like age, a common respiratory infection or a "smoker's cough." Moreover, some people who have stopped smoking may believe they can no longer develop COPD. Historically, COPD was associated with older men who had a history of smoking. While the number of men and women who die of COPD in Canada each year is roughly equal, recent research has indicated COPD is likely underdiagnosed in women. The Canadian Lung Association shared women might also experience more severe symptoms and have earlier disease onset. Finally, over the past two decades, there has been a rising number of COPD hospitalizations for both women in the 40 to 64 age group as well as those older than 65. That's in addition to a decreasing number of hospitalizations in men. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lung Health Foundation (@lunghealthfoundation) In Canada, one in four people will be diagnosed with COPD. There are more than two million Canadians impacted by the disease, and a further one million likely living with the condition unknowingly. COPD is also the second-leading cause of hospitalization in Canada, behind only childbirth. Globally, the WHO has indicated COPD is the third-leading cause of death, causing more than three million deaths in 2019 alone. That year, there were more than 212 million prevalent cases of COPD reported worldwide. There is no cure for COPD. Still, there are ways to improve the condition and possibly slow its progression. Since the majority of COPD cases are related to using cigarettes, it's best to never smoke — or stop smoking now. Moreover, you should speak to your supervisor about protection if you work around occupational exposure to chemical fumes, dusts or anything other elements that may increase your risk for COPD.
