Sly Stone, 82, funk music trailblazer, dies surrounded by his family

The pioneering funk musician, who led Sly and the Family Stone, has died aged 82.

US singer Sly Stone performs in 2007 in Nice, France. Picture: AFP

Sly Stone, the pioneering funk musician who led Sly and the Family Stone, has died aged 82.

Stone was the lead singer, guitarist and producer of the funk group, whose biggest hit records included Dance to the Music, Everyday People, Family Affair and I Want to Take You Higher.

They were active from the 1960s to the 1980s, after which Stone’s career went into decline, in part due to heavy drug use.

The group had 17 singles reach the top 100 of the US charts, and nine albums in the top 200. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Stone’s 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.”

They added that he was a “monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music”.

His family said that his work had “left an indelible mark on the world and his influence remains undeniable”.

Stone performs in April 1972. Picture: AP

Stone performs in Paris in 2007. Picture: AFP

Stone experienced legal troubles after the band broke up, and he was arrested several times for cocaine possession in the 1980s. He largely disappeared from public view in the 1990s, although he did make an appearance at the band’s Hall of Fame induction.

In 2011, the New York Times reported that he was living in a campervan.

But a documentary by the musician and filmmaker Questlove about Stone appeared earlier this year, and the documentarian said that Stone was in a good “mind state and condition”.

Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, and raised in Vallejo, California, he loved performing so much that his mother claimed that he would cry if the congregation in church failed to respond when he sang.

He became known as Sly by accident, when a teacher mistakenly spelled his name Slyvester.

He and his band the Family Stone played a memorable set at the 1969 Woodstock Festival but they struggled in the 1970s with some internal strife and drug issues and, while Stone occasionally played solo, the band booked fewer gigs.

Stone had “recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course”, his family said.

Stone had three children, including a daughter with Cynthia Robinson. In 1974, he and actor Kathy Silva wed on stage at Madison Square Garden. However, the couple soon divorced.

The Times