Sly Stone, Family Stone Architect Who Fused Funk,

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Wildly inventive musician and singer uplifted crowds, but would face personal demons later on

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Sly Stone, one of the most influential and groundbreaking musicians of the late-Sixties and early-Seventies who smashed the boundaries of rock, pop, funk, and soul, died on Monday. He was 82. The cause of death was a “prolonged battled with COPD and other underlying health issues,” according to a statement by his family.

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

At the peak of his success, when hits like “Dance to the Music” and “Everyday People” were high on the charts, the wildly inventive musician and singer presented a glowingly optimistic image in step with the times, bringing together Black and white audiences, uplifting crowds with electrifying shows. But the unpredictability that was the core of his genius gave way to a long decline, as his personal demons destroyed what he had once been.

Born Sylvester Stewart in Texas in 1943, Stone started making music with his siblings as a child: The Stewart Four (Sylvester, his sisters Rose and Vaetta, and his brother Freddie) made their first single, “On the Battlefield,” in 1952. He moved to California for college, and became a familiar voice in the Bay Area’s music scene. As a staff producer at Autumn Records, he put together hits like Bobby Freeman’s “C’mon and Swim”; he also produced “Somebody to Love” by Grace Slick’s pre-Jefferson Airplane band, the Great Society. He was also a DJ on KSOL and KDIA, and later noted that “in radio, I found out about a lot of things I don’t like. Like, I think there shoudn’t be ‘Black radio.’ Just radio. Everybody be a part of everything.”

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