Sly Stone, pioneering leader of funk band Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82
Sly Stone, the pioneering leader of the funk band bearing his name, Sly and the Family Stone, has died, according to his family. Stone was 82 years old.
“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,” his family said in a statement.
Sly and the Family Stone was the first major American rock band to be integrated. At one point it was reported that he was homeless, living in a white van in Los Angeles. See: Sly Stone is Homeless But Happy.
Sylvester “Sly” Stewart and his bride Kathy Silva, right, are congratulated during their wedding ceremony at a rock concert by Sly and the Family Stone at New York’s Madison Square Garden on June 6, 1974.