Funk and Soul Icon Sly Stone Dies Aged 82

Sly Stone, who was a pioneer in funk, soul, and beyond, while writing some of the genre’s most enduring hits, has passed away at the age of 82 after battling an illness. He did so peacefully in the presence of family and friends.

“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.”

Stone was best known as the singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist of his eponymous band, Sly and the Family Stone. Widely known as a vital and pivotal act in the funk and soul scene from the late ‘60s going into the ‘70s, Stone quickly became one of the era’s greatest innovators through his unique genre-blending of funk and soul with psychedelic music, rock, and gospel. The band were also noted as a multiracial, mixed-gender act during a time of great social tensions and upheaval.

Stone’s songs were also beloved for the effortless way they could fill dancefloors while incorporating social commentary. As a hitmaker, Stone and the band would achieve Billboard chart success and three US number ones with tracks including Dance to the Music, Everyday People, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), I Want to Take You Higher, Family Affair, and If You Want Me to Stay.

The 1971 Sly and the Family Stone album There’s a Riot Goin’ On, which reflected on civil rights in the postwar era, is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest records. The album’s writing and creation was largely by Stone himself. It was also notable as one of the first albums to ever use a drum machine.

Before adopting the Sly Stone monicker, he was born Sylvester Stewart in Texas in 1943, to a religious, Pentecostal family. He then grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, surrounded by gospel music. His first official music release was with his three siblings, releasing gospel music of their own as a single in 1952. As a child, he was regarded as a musical prodigy, showing great promise on keyboards by seven, and then displaying dizzying proficiency on guitar, bass, and drums by only eleven years of age.

He would then become active in the San Francisco counterculture and music scene. Once embedded as a multi-instrumentalist in a series of bands and a radio DJ, he initially formed Sly and the Stoners in 1966, before merging with his brother’s band, the Stone Souls — Sly and the Family Stone was born.

The band’s breakthrough came only a year later with one of their biggest hits, Dance to the Music. Their success was ensured when their 1969 LP Stand!, their fourth album, sold above three million records. Their popularity increased exponentially with performances at the Woodstock and Harlem festivals.

Sly and the Family Stone’s genre-mashing, coupled with the mixed racial and gender lineup, meant the band brought a huge listenership from a wide variety of backgrounds. And while the hits kept coming in the early ‘70s, tensions were emerging within the group. Sly Stone’s drug use began ramping up at this time, and the group became infamous for the question mark of whether they would turn up to their own concerts. With Stone increasingly writing and recording all the music himself, it essentially became his solo project from 1975 onwards, with the core group splitting in 1975.

His cocaine addiction became more crippling later that decade, to the detriment of his career. He performed with Bobby Womack and Funkadelic, and is widely credited for sowing the musical seeds that would help the explosion of disco music that was to come. But in 1983, he was arrested for driving under the influence and drug possession. His own music releases became increasingly few and far between, as did his live performances. After a long period out of the public eye, he performed at the 2006 Grammy Awards and then at Coachella in 2010.

In 2015, Stone won a lawsuit for $5m in withheld royalties from his former manager and attorney, only not to receive the money due to a 1989 agreement with a production company. Not receiving his royalties caused financial difficulties, and in 2011, he was living in a campervan in Los Angeles.

Tributes have been pouring in from across the music industry. Musician Questlove wrote on Instagram that “From the moment his music reached me in the early 1970s, it became a part of my soul. 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 … His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.”

Musician and actor Queen Latifah also expressed her admiration: “Innovator and funk aficionado.”

“Thank you for all the inspiration, for breaking ground so others could follow and for being the sassiest, funkiest being on planet earth,” was the tribute from Waterboys frontman Mike Scott.

The family statement also wrote that “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.”