Sly Stone Dead at 82

Sly Stone, the multifaceted frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, has died at the age of 82.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” a statement from his family said. “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 noted that Stone recently completed a screenplay about his life, “a project we are eager to share with the world in due course.”

“We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time,” the statement continued. “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.”

Stone had previously shared a bit about his health issues. In October of 2023, he spoke with The Guardian via email — he was too ill to speak in person.

“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, referencing his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which drastically reduced his lung capacity. In 2019, he was told by doctors — not for the first time — that if he didn’t stop smoking, he’d be setting himself up for death. That time, it stuck. “Once I decided,” he said, “it just happened.”

Sly Stone in the Beginning

Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas on March 15, 1943, Stone wasn’t just a musically inclined child, but something of a prodigy. His family moved to California when he was small, and he grew up singing with his siblings and in the church choir, but by the time he was an adolescent, he’d already mastered several different instruments, including guitar, drums, keyboards and bass.

Stone worked for a time as a DJ for a radio station in San Francisco, and also landed gigs playing keyboards for acts like Dionne Warwick, the Righteous Brothers, Marvin Gaye and more. By the second half of the ’60s, he’d formed his own, multiracial band, Sly and the Family Stone, and in 1967, they released their debut album, A Whole New Thing. Though it took a couple of years, the band eventually found major success with their fourth album, Stand!, and before the decade was out, they had three Top Five singles to their name: “Everyday People,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”

READ MORE: Robert Trujillo Names His 5 Favorite Funk Grooves

But the success was not long lasting. Within six years, the lineup of the band had shifted dramatically, and working together in the studio and on the road became increasingly more difficult, partially due to issues with substance abuse. “It was a dark scene,” Stone would later explain to Madhouse Magazine. “We were all paranoid.” The group dissolved in 1975.

Stone went on to record a few solo albums — only one, 1975’s High on You was released under his own name, the rest were credited as Sly and the Family Stone records — and he also collaborated with Funkadelic. But Stone’s struggles with drugs and alcohol only worsened and he steadily withdrew from the public spotlight. (At one point, it was reported that Stone was homeless and living in a van in Los Angeles.) Between 1987 and his death, Stone only made a few notable appearances, like at his band’s 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and at the 2006 Grammy Awards where he performed for the first time in close to 20 years.

And Stone never minded that other artists emulated him in later years.”I was always happy if someone took the things I was doing and they liked them enough to want to do them on their own,” he said in 2023. “I’m proud that the music I made inspired people.”

Sly Stone at the End