Sly Stone, pioneering funk legend, dies at 82
AP FILE - Rock star Sylvester "Sly" Stone of Sly and the Family Stone appears in April 1972. (AP Photo, File)
Sly Stone, the visionary musician whose genre-defying work with Sly and the Family Stone reshaped popular music in the late 1960s and 1970s, has died at the age of 82. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, passed away surrounded by family after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other ailments, his publicist Carleen Donovan confirmed on Monday.Formed in the Bay Area in 1966-67, Sly and the Family Stone broke new ground as the first major band to feature Black and white men and women, embodying the spirit of an era marked by social upheaval and hope. Their music—a vibrant fusion of jazz, psychedelic rock, soul, doo-wop, and the emerging sounds of funk—captured the euphoria and turbulence of the Woodstock generation.
The band's breakthrough came with the 1968 single 'Dance to the Music,' which hit the Top 10 during a week marked by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Their anthems, including 'Everyday People,' 'Stand!,' and 'Family Affair,' became rallying cries for unity and non-conformity, with the phrase 'different strokes for different folks' entering the popular lexicon.Sly and the Family Stone released five Top 10 singles—three of which reached No. 1—and three million-selling albums: 'Stand!,' 'There's a Riot Goin' On,' and 'Greatest Hits.' Their electrifying 1969 Woodstock performance and Stone's flamboyant stage presence left an indelible mark on music and culture.
Stone's influence extended far beyond his brief peak from 1968 to 1971. Artists as diverse as George Clinton, Prince, Rick James, and the Black Eyed Peas drew inspiration from his work, and his riffs have been sampled by hip-hop legends like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. In 2023, his memoir 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' was published, and in 2025, Questlove released the documentary 'Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).'
Sly Stone's innovative sound and message of inclusivity continue to resonate, cementing his place as a true architect of modern music.
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Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Legendary musician Sly Stone passes away at 82; tributes pour in following family's official statement - "RIP to the greatest of all time"
The world of entertainment is mourning the loss of yet another star, as the legendary musician and funk pioneer Sly Stone passed away this Monday. His family has confirmed the news of his demise through a statement shared on his official handle. According to the statement, Sly Stone lost his life at the age of 82 after battling prolonged illnesses. He had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health issues. His loved ones surrounded him in his last moments, and he passed away in peace. Sly Stone's family's statement on the singer's demise 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone. 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,' reads the statement. Further, highlighting the artist's impact and contribution over the years, it continues, '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,' concluded the statement. Tributes pour in.. The news of Sly Stone's demise shattered everyone. Tributes started coming in as the statement was released. American Singer Olga Merediz commented below the post - "Before there was Prince, there was Sly. Rest in power Sly. Thank you for the music." Further, singer Nick Perri expressed, "RIP to the greatest of all time. In the words of my mentor Oliver Leiber, the King is dead 👑 Thank you for changing the world, Sly. Dance to the music we will, for all time." 'Goddam. The soundtrack of my younger days. He brought rhythm and class and a touch of funk to AM radio. And joy. Simple, relatable, real joy. Thank you thank you thank you….,' wrote American actor Steven Weber. One of the heartbroken fans wrote - ' Oh God, reading this feels so very sad, I truly loved Sly Stone, part of my childhood and opening my mind up to beautiful cosmic experiences.' 'There will never be anyone like Sly. I grew up with the Family Stone and play their music still. Great art only gets better👏❤️,' read another comment. Who was Sly Stone? A legacy, an icon! Born in Denton, Texas, Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone, moved to Northern California at a very young age. He was highly loved and appreciated for his techniques, such as home recording, multitrack layering, and the use of drum machines. His distinctive style, which entailed complex vocal arrangements, the use of a wah-wah pedal, distorted bass lines, and more, helped him carve his own place in the industry. Over the years, he was awarded several titles, including Grammys. He was the one who gave new direction to hip-hop and funk music, and thus, his demise has left a big void.
India Today
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Sly Stone, groundbreaking musician behind ‘Family Affair,' dies in Los Angeles
Sly Stone, frontman of Sly and the Family Stone and one of the most dominant figures in contemporary music, died on Monday at the age of 82. The trailblazer was celebrated for blending funk, soul, rock, and psychedelia, revolutionizing the sound of the 1960s and '70s with genre-defining songs such as Everyday People, Family Affair, and Stand!.His publicist, Carleen Donovan, confirmed that Stone had died in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family, after a long illness involving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other Diverse Band for a Divided Era Formed in the late 1960s, Sly and the Family Stone was groundbreaking not only musically but also socially — the first major band to feature Black and white men and women together. With energetic horns, infectious grooves, and inclusive messages, their music reflected both the optimism and turmoil of the anthems such as I Want To Take You Higher to introspective ballads like Family Affair, the group spoke for a generation amid cultural upheaval. Their 1969 Woodstock performance remains one of the most enduring images of the his reign being relatively short-lived, Stone's influence was long-lasting. Artists such as Prince, George Clinton, the Jackson 5, and many hip-hop producers cited him as a major inspiration. Even Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock acknowledged his trailblazing published his memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) in 2023, with a foreword by Questlove, who also directed the 2025 documentary Sly Lives! honoring Stone's genius and complicated the 1970s, personal and professional pressures began to take a toll. Stone became increasingly erratic and struggled with drug addiction. Although the band's later records like There's a Riot Goin' On gained critical acclaim, the magic eventually faded. Stone made few appearances in the decades that followed, releasing just one new album after the early ' Sylvester Stewart in Texas and raised in California, Stone was a prodigy from a young age. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, and DJ, he was driven by a belief in unity through music. His life was as complex as his sound — full of brilliance, contradictions, and lasting Stone leaves behind three children and a legacy that forever changed the landscape of American music.(With inputs from AP)
NDTV
2 hours ago
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Sly Stone, Leader Of 1960s Funk Band, Dies At 82
Sly Stone, the driving force behind Sly and the Family Stone, a multiracial American band whose boiling mix of rock, soul and psychedelia embodied 1960s idealism and helped popularize funk music, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Monday. Stone died after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other health issues, a statement from his family said. "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 said. Stone was perhaps best known for his performance in 1969 at the historic Woodstock music festival, the hippie culture's coming-out party. His group was a regular on the U.S. music charts in the late 1960s and 1970s, with hits such as "Dancea to the Music," "I Want to Take You Higher," "Family Affair," "Everyday People," "If You Want Me to Stay," and "Hot Fun in the Summertime." But he later fell on hard times and became addicted to cocaine, never staging a successful comeback. The confident and mercurial Stone played a leading role in introducing funk, an Afrocentric style of music driven by grooves and syncopated rhythms, to a broader audience. James Brown had forged the elements of funk before Stone founded his band in 1966, but Stone's brand of funk drew new listeners. It was celebratory, eclectic, psychedelic and rooted in the counterculture of the late 1960s. "They had the clarity of Motown but the volume of Jimi Hendrix or The Who," Parliament-Funkadelic frontman George Clinton, a contemporary of Stone and another pioneering figure in funk, once wrote. When Sly and the Family Stone performed, it felt like the band was "speaking to you personally," Clinton said. Stone made his California-based band, which included his brother Freddie and sister Rose, a symbol of integration. It included Black and white musicians, while women, including the late trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, had prominent roles. That was rare in a music industry often segregated along racial and gender lines. Stone, with his orb-like Afro hairstyle and wardrobe of vests, fringes and skin-tight leather, lived the life of a superstar. At the same time, he allowed bandmates to shine by fostering a collaborative, free-flowing approach that epitomized the 1960s hippie ethic. "I wanted to be able for everyone to get a chance to sweat," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1970. DISC JOCKEY TO SINGER Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, he moved as a child with his family to Northern California, where his father ran a janitorial business. He took the show business name Sly Stone and worked for a time as a radio disc jockey and a record producer for a small label before forming the band. The band's breakthrough came in 1968, when the title track to their second album, "Dance to the Music," cracked the Top 10. A year later, Sly and the Family Stone performed at Woodstock before dawn. Stone woke up a crowd of 400,000 people at the music festival, leading them in call-and-response style singing. Stone's music became less joyous after the idealistic 1960s, reflecting the polarization of the country after opposition to the Vietnam War and racial tensions triggered unrest on college campuses and in African American neighborhoods in big U.S. cities. In 1971, Sly and the Family Stone released "There's a Riot Goin' On," which became the band's only No. 1 album. Critics said the album's bleak tone and slurred vocals denoted the increasing hold of cocaine on Stone. But some called the record a masterpiece, a eulogy to the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Stone became erratic and missed shows. Some members left the band. But the singer was still a big enough star in 1974 to attract a crowd of 21,000 for his wedding to actress and model Kathy Silva at Madison Square Garden in New York. Silva filed for divorce less than a year later. Sly and the Family Stone's album releases in the late 1970s and early 1980s flopped, as Stone racked up drug possession arrests. But the music helped shape disco and, years later, hip-hop artists kept the band's legacy alive by frequently sampling its musical hooks. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and Stone was celebrated in an all-star tribute at the Grammy Awards in 2006. He sauntered on stage with a blond Mohawk but bewildered the audience by leaving mid-song. In 2011, after launching what would become a years-long legal battle to claim royalties he said were stolen, Stone was arrested for cocaine possession. That year, media reported Stone was living in a recreational vehicle parked on a street in South Los Angeles. Stone had a son, Sylvester, with Silva. He had two daughters, Novena Carmel, and Sylvette "Phunne" Stone, whose mother was bandmate Cynthia Robinson.
