Music Icon Sly Stone, a Real Funk and Soul Pioneer, Dies at 82

A timeless musical legacy is left by the creator of Sly and the Family Stone.

A great has passed away in the music industry. According to his family, Sly Stone, who founded the iconic band Sly and the Family Stone, died at the age of 82.

Sly Stone is renowned for shattering stereotypes about energy, sound, and race. He started a movement in addition to making music. By fusing rock, psychedelic, soul, and funk, Sly and the Family Stone transformed a genre and motivated succeeding generations.

Sly was born Sylvester Stewart in 1943 in Texas, and he had a long history in music. Before the family moved to the Bay Area, where he became a local DJ and musical prodigy—playing guitar, drums, keys, and bass with ease—he began his career in gospel with his siblings.

He gathered his sister Rose, brother Freddie, and other neighborhood musicians to form Sly and the Family Stone in 1966. The band only needed one single to change the society, but their debut album didn’t create much of a stir. The release of “Dance to the Music” in 1967 launched the group into the spotlight.

They were worldwide by 1969. Stand!, their album from that year, produced hits including “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and “Everyday People,” which became their first No. 1 hit. At 3:30 a.m., Sly had the crowd rocking like it was prime time during their August Woodstock performance, which is now regarded as one of the festival’s most electrifying acts.

His music had a message in addition to being a rhythm. Sly infused every rhythm with a message of social justice and racial unity. His groundbreaking mixed-gender, multiracial ensemble changed the definition of musical success.

After battling COPD and other health conditions, Sly died away quietly in the company of her loved ones. His sound will endure forever, even though his voice is now quiet.

Sly Stone made a lasting impression on everything from the stage to the studio, the Bay to the Billboard charts. Without him, funk wouldn’t be what it is. To a true music pioneer, rest in peace.