Sly Stone, courtesy of High Moon Records

Sly Stone, the fearless innovator behind Sly & The Family Stone, has died. As the frontman, singer, songwriter, organist and producer for the legendary psychedelic soul ensemble, Stone created generational anthems that challenged the injustices of his era through joy and shook the foundations of popular music, laying the foundation for fusion, funk and more. He was 82. 

The legendary artist’s passing was announced with a statement from his family: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone. 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.”

Stone was born Sylvester Stewart, the second of five children in a household of devout Church of God in Christ adherents in Denton, Texas. When they packed up and moved to Vallejo, Calif., the family brought their faith with them and raised their children on gospel and the spiritual value of musical expression in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sly, who took his nickname from a childhood friend’s misspelling, cut his first record at eight years old alongside his siblings Freddie, Rose and Vaetta, issuing “On the Battlefield” b/w “Walking in Jesus Name” as The Stewart Four on a locally-pressed 10” in 1956.

By age 11, Sly was a capable performer on keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. In high school, already a restless prodigy, he recorded with Freddie as the Stewart Bros and released a few singles under the name Danny Stewart. He pursued new horizons in his sound by studying composition, theory and trumpet at Vallejo Junior College and playing with several bands, including the racially-integrated doo-wop combo the Viscaynes.

In the mid 1960s, Stone broke into the San Francisco music scene as a staff producer at Autumn Records, where he left his mark on recordings by predominantly white emerging rock groups like the Beau Brummels and Grace Slick’s first outfit The Great Society; in 1964, he produced and co-wrote Bobby Freeman’s No. 5 pop chart hit “C’mon and Swim.” Meanwhile, as a popular quick-talking disc jockey at the R&B station KSOL-AM, he spun white performers like The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan into his soul programming. “I found out about a lot of things I don’t like,” he later said of his time in radio. “Like, I think there shouldn’t be ‘Black radio.’ Just radio. Everybody be a part of everything. I didn’t look at my job in terms of Black.”

Stone’s first few tastes of stardom encouraged him to put his talents toward his own music, and in 1966 he established Sly & The Stoners, including Cynthia Robinson. Freddie had formed a group of his own with Freddie & the Stone Souls, featuring drummer Greg Errico, and at the encouragement of saxophonist Jerry Martini (Errico’s cousin), the brothers merged their groups and ultimately welcomed Robinson’s cousin, bassist Larry Graham and Stone’s sisters Rose and Vaetta. After their first performance at Redwood City, Calif.’s Winchester Cathedral, the newly minted Sly & The Family Stone were quickly signed to Epic Records.

Sly & The Family Stone erupted from San Francisco’s flourishing counterculture with a sound and statement that defied all expectations and fundamentally changed the shape of popular music. At the helm of the racially mixed ensemble of male and female musicians, Sly stirred psych-rock, soul, gospel, funk, jazz, Latin and more into a musical riot that rallied a broad, open-minded audience for its incarnation of the 1960s’ utopian ideal.

The band’s groundbreaking early records like 1968’s Dance to the Music and 1969’s Stand! offered generational anthems like the ecstatic stomp of “Dance to the Music,” “I Want to Take You Higher” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” and uplifting rallying cries “Sing a Simple Song” and “Stand!” Onstage at their unforgettable 1969 Woodstock concert, Stone’s quick and heartful tenor led the crowd in a sing-along on the latter that intoned “all the things you want are real” and “there’s a cross for you to bear / Things to go through if you’re goin’ anywhere.”

Within Sly’s music, there was always an implied struggle. The irrepressible joy that he created on stage was hard fought, snatched from the strife of the times and exhibited as an act of rebellion. As the dreamers of the 1960s were shaken by the stark social context of the 1970s, that undercurrent became more prominent in his compositions and lyrics alike. The Family Stone moved to a Beverly Hills mansion at the top of the decade, where drug use and interpersonal grievances rendered the band dysfunctional and warped their vision to the bleak, cavernous, rough-edged and cynical reckoning of 1971’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On. The band’s sixth project, largely recorded by Stone alone in obsessive overdubs, is widely recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time.

The conditions that brought Stone to his opus quickly took their toll. He soon earned a reputation for frequently missing gigs and unpredictable behavior when he showed. During a 1974 performance at Madison Square Garden, the frontman married Kathy Silva before a sold-out crowd of 20,000, then split with her within months. By 1975, after some success with 1973’s Fresh and 1974’s Small Talk, the band parted ways.

In the decades that followed, Stone’s appearances in the public eye were increasingly few and far between, limited to comeback efforts like 1976’s Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back and 1979’s Back on the Right Track and tabloid headlines that scandalized his personal life. While occasionally stepping out for collaborations with George Clinton, the Bar-Kays, Earth, Wind & Fire and Bobby Womack, he was arrested for possession of cocaine and embroiled in over-exposed legal disputes regarding unpaid royalties. “Even if I stayed out of the spotlight, people managed to locate me,” he wrote in his memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).

Those close to Stone have detailed that his recent life away from the stage was largely spent at home, listening to music and enjoying the company of his family. In 2011, he released I’m Back! Family & Friends, his first album since 1982, featuring guest spots from Jeff Beck, Ray Manzarek, Bootsy Collins and more. His 2024 memoir was widely hailed for its wit and charm. Earlier this year, Stone was the subject of Questlove’s documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), which surveys his life and achievements with an eye for the distinct challenges faced by successful Black performers. “He’s probably in the best mind state and condition that I’ve experienced in a minute,” the director shared with Rolling Stone just before the film’s release. “We talk weekly. So I think he’s now in a mental headspace where he’s ready. He’s definitely excited about the new music.”

Stone’s tumultuous later life has led him to be cast often as a sort of tragic hero, a genius overcome by his reputation and unable to escape his excesses. In his passing, we’re not tasked with reconciling his contradictions and smoothing frayed edges, reducing him to some flat, fading photo. Instead, we’re left with the monumental task of continuing to recognize the person at the heart of the legend, for all of the intentional and passionate life that he lived, the incredible music he created, and the inestimably vast influence he had on music and culture.

“Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music,” his family’s statement concludes. “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.”

We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time. We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly’s life and his iconic music. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unwavering support.”