Sly Stone, Sly and the Family Stone Frontman, Dead at 82

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Sly and the Family Stone frontman and funk icon Sly Stone has passed away from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) combined with other health issues. I want to start this with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who directed the NETFLIX documentary Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), who shared a tribute honoring the late musician. “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,” the Roots drummer wrote on Instagram.

If you’re not gonna click, here’s his full statement from The Gram:

Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, left this earth today, but the changes he sparked while here will echo forever. 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 songs weren’t just about fighting injustice; they were about transforming the self to transform the world. He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries, and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths. His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.

And if you have not watched this doc yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. Sly was a polarizing and dynamic artist. Prince often said that if it weren’t for Sly and the Family Stone there would be no Prince & The Revolution. Sly Stone’s music, particularly his funk-infused sound and inclusive band, significantly impacted Prince’s music and career. Prince even covered Sly and the Family Stone songs in concert and incorporated similar multiracial band structures. 

In the late ’80s, rumors abounded that the pair were collaborating, but nothing was ever confirmed. In his 2023 memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), Stone discussed for the first time what transpired behind the scenes, and how a later Prince track demonstrated what could have been. It’s a great read.

“People said that he was the new version of me, though they also said he was the new version of Little Richard and of Jimi Hendrix,” Stone wrote. “Some days I understood what they meant and other days I didn’t see it.”

As songwriter, producer, arranger, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and showman supreme, 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Stone led his group Sly and the Family Stone to the top of the charts with a series of energetic, oft-experimental singles and albums, which fused forward-looking, bottom-heavy soul with rock power.

Starting off with the breakout 1968 Epic Records single ‘Dance to the Music’ and peaking with the 1969 album Stand!, which contained four chart singles (including the No. 1 pop and R&B hit ‘Everyday People’), Stone successfully built an enthusiastic, diverse fanbase of both black and white listeners. He was a larger than life figure who was vibrant and witty. However he would plummet from fame and fortune as he struggled with drug dependency.

David Kapralik, the musician’s manager at the apex of his career, told biographer Jeff Kaliss that as he watched film footage of Stone’s fabled 1969 appearance at the Woodstock festival, “I knew that this was Icarus, his wings made of wax, and [the spotlight] was the sun he flew too close to.”  In 2011, the New York Post reported he was homeless and living in a van in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw district.

He bounced back that very year and started performing again with his daughter’s band Baby Stone. The Grammy’s also honored him in 2017 with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1993 Sly and the Family Stone had been inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” his family said in a statement on Monday, June 9. “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 continued, “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,” it concluded.

In the end what Sly gave us was beautiful, defiant, independent and pure genius music. He took what we were hearing in Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and others- mashed it up in a ball – added all that funk that he had floating around in his brain- and gave us a brand new style. He brought us life defining masterpieces of love. Very rarely is music actually life changing but when you hear Sly orchestrate his band to next level creativity you can come to the realization that he was that dude. As I sit here now, listening (and I mean really listening), I wonder where his imagination might have floated us off to had the demons not reeled him back down . Thank you so much Mr. Stone for what you did leave us. My heart and soul are forever indebted. Your music will always live on and with that, so will you.