Sly Stone, the groundbreaking bandleader of Sly and the Household Stone and one of many architects of funk music, has died on the age of 82 after an extended battle with persistent obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD).
A press release shared with USA TODAY on June 9 confirmed his passing:
“It’s with profound unhappiness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Household Stone,” the assertion learn. “After a protracted battle with COPD and different underlying well being points, Sly handed away peacefully, surrounded by his three youngsters, his closest good friend, and his prolonged household.”
“Whereas we mourn his absence, we take solace in understanding that his extraordinary musical legacy will proceed to resonate and encourage for generations to return,” the household added.
Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, on March 15, 1943, Stone was raised in Vallejo, California, in a deeply musical and non secular family. A prodigious multi-instrumentalist, he started performing gospel music together with his siblings at a younger age. Within the Nineteen Sixties, he labored as a disc jockey and report producer within the Bay Space earlier than forming Sly and the Household Stone in 1966.
The band rapidly rose to fame with its genre-defying sound, mixing soul, funk, rock, and psychedelic influences. Sly and the Household Stone was additionally one of many first main American bands to characteristic a racially built-in and gender-diverse lineup—one thing thought of revolutionary on the time. Their message of unity and social consciousness got here via in hits like “On a regular basis Folks,” “Dance to the Music,” “Household Affair,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”
Their efficiency at Woodstock in 1969 stays one of many competition’s most celebrated moments, serving to cement Stone’s popularity as a dynamic and visionary artist. Regardless of his profound affect on trendy music, Stone’s later years have been marked by struggles with drug habit, authorized troubles, and well being points that pressured him into reclusion for lengthy stretches of time.
Sly and the Household Stone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame in 1993, and Stone obtained a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Lately, he made a restricted return to the general public eye, most notably with the discharge of his memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), in 2023.
Stone’s musical improvements helped form generations of artists, influencing acts from Prince to Public Enemy and the Pink Scorching Chili Peppers. His work stays a cornerstone of American music historical past.
He’s survived by his three youngsters and a large circle of family members. Plans for a public memorial or celebration of life haven’t but been introduced.
