Sly Stone, the frontman of the band Sly and the Household Stone, had died. He was 82.
“It’s with profound unhappiness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Household Stone,” his household shared in a Monday, June 9, assertion. “After a chronic battle with COPD and different underlying well being points, Sly handed away peacefully, surrounded by his three youngsters, his closest pal, and his prolonged household.”
In response to the World Health Organization, persistent obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD) or emphysema, is a typical lung illness inflicting restricted airflow and respiration points.
The assertion went on to share that whereas his household “mourn[s] his absence” they will even “take solace in figuring out that his extraordinary musical legacy will proceed to resonate and encourage for generations to come back.”
“Sly was a monumental determine, a groundbreaking innovator, and a real pioneer who redefined the panorama of pop, funk, and rock music,” the message learn. “His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his affect stays plain. In a testomony to his enduring artistic spirit, Sly not too long ago accomplished the screenplay for his life story, a challenge we’re desirous to share with the world in the end, which follows a memoir printed in 2024.”
The household ended their assertion by expressing their “deepest gratitude for the outpouring of affection and prayers throughout this tough time.”
Sly andThe Household Stone’s Freddie Stone, Sly Stone, Rosie Stone, Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Gregg Errico Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Photographs
“We want peace and concord to all who have been touched by Sly’s life and iconic music,” they mentioned. “Thanks from the underside of our hearts in your unwavering help.”
After working as a file producer and a disc jockey at a radio station in San Francisco, Sly, his brother, Freddie Stone, and his sister, Rose Stone, shaped Sly and the Household Stone alongside Cynthia Robinson, Greg Errico, Jerry Martini and Larry Graham.
The group went on to launch a number of Billboard Sizzling 100 hits, together with “Dance to the Music,” “On a regular basis Folks,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”. Though the band disbanded within the late 70s as a result of Sly’s drug use, the group was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame in 1993 and Sly obtained a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Sly continued to make uncommon public appearances all through the years, together with reuniting for a efficiency on the 2006 Grammy Awards with Sly and the Household Stone. He additionally launched his memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) in 2023.
Whereas Sly struggled with drug dependancy for a number of years, he revealed that he lastly received sober in 2019 after his drug use landed him within the hospital 4 instances within the span of just some weeks.
“That point, I not solely listened to the physician however believed him,” he advised The Guardian in 2023. “I spotted that I wanted to wash up. I targeting getting sturdy in order that I might get clear. My children visited me on the hospital. My grandkids visited me. I left with function.”
Sly is survived by his son, Sylvester Jr., daughters Sylvyette and Novena alongside together with his three grandchildren.