Sly Stone, rock pioneer and funk icon, passes away at 82

(CNN) — Sly Stone, the influential but enigmatic funk-rock star whose soulful, socially conscious recordings altered the course of popular music before he abruptly retreated from the spotlight and became the J.D. Salinger of rock, has died, his family announced Monday.

He was 82.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” according to a statement from his family. “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.”

“Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music,” their statement continued. “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.”

Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, the second of five children his family was affiliated with the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) and continued their involvement with the denomination following the family’s move to Vallejo, California.

He was eight years old when he and three of his siblings recorded a gospel single under the group name Stewart Four.

“A musical prodigy, he became known as Sly in early grade school, the result of a friend misspelling ‘Sylvester.’ He was adept at keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums by age eleven, and went on to perform in several high school bands,” according to his website. “One of these groups, the Viscaynes, boasted an integrated lineup, a fact that did not go unnoticed in the late 1950s. The group cut a few singles, and Sly also released a few singles as well during that period, working with his younger brother Freddie.”

While a student at Vallejo Junior College, he learned composition and theory as well as how to play the trumpet. He became a popular disc jockey at R&B radio station KSOL.

His “eclectic musical tastes” helped to make his show a hit as the young DJ was “an early proponent of including R&B-flavored white artists” the likes of the Beatles, the Animals, and the Rolling Stones. He later took his DJ talents to KDIA, a gig he continued right up to the start of his now legenday band Sly and the Family Stone in 1967.

According to his site, “Sly and the Family Stone upset the Las Vegas status quo when they were booked into a three-month, six-nights-a-week gig at the Pussycat a’ Go Go, an engagement that was attended by everyone from James Brown to Bobby Darin.”

They group would use their Mondays off to fly to Los Angeles to record their debut album, “A Whole New Thing.” It included their first hit single, “Dance to the Music,” which would also become a single on their sophomore album.

While the band enjoyed early success, Stone eventually fell on hard financial times and would later be plagued by health issues and even homelessness.

Praised as a musical genuis, he also became known for being reclusive.

Before he vanished, Stone was a potent creative force in the late 1960s and early 1970s — a singer, songwriter, bandleader and producer. His group’s other hits include “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Thank You [Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin],” and “Family Affair.”

Sly and the Family Stone’s performance at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969 was memorialized in the Oscar-winning documentary “Summer of Soul,” directed by musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.

Thompson had also been working on a film about Stone, who in 2023 published a memoir.

In it he laid bare some of his demons including substance abuse and other dark periods of his life that didn’t portray Stone in the best light.

“And as part of rock’s first wave of superstars, Sly indulged in just about every excess until they nearly destroyed him,” Variety’s Jem Aswad wrote in her review of the biography. “While friends like Muhammad Ali, Doris Day and George Clinton make cameos during these years, the accounts of the excesses of his too-high years (included in Joel Selvin’s 1997 Sly-less oral history of the band and multiple articles and documentaries) are filled with accounts of guns, aggressive bodyguards and even more aggressive attack dogs — one of which, named Gun, Sly himself killed after it badly mauled his son. He calls the dog the best friend he ever had.”

Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

In the statement from his family released Monday they thanked Stone’s fans “from the bottom of our hearts for your unwavering support.”

“We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time,” they wrote. “We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly’s life and his iconic music.”

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