Sly Stone, Sly and the Family Stone frontman, dies at 82

Sly Stone, the funk music pioneer and frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, has died at the age of 82, his manger, Arlene Hirschkowitz, confirmed to CBS News. 

Despite keeping his personal life mostly out of the public eye, Stone became one of the most influential musicians of the late 1960s and 70s with hits like “Everyday People,” “Dance to the Music,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime.”

In 2023, the music legend let fans get a rare look into his world by releasing a memoir titled “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” — also the title of one of his greatest hits. The book, co-written with music journalist Ben Greenman, detailed his revolutionary music style and also the addictions which took him out of the spotlight.

Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, Stone’s family moved to Vallejo, California, when he was young — and music was always with him.

“My father played washboard, guitar, violin, fiddle, harmonica. My mother played keyboards and guitar. Music was as much a part of our home as the walls or the floor,” Stone wrote in his memoir. “The piano was as prominent as the kitchen table.”

He went on to study music composition at a junior college while working as a radio DJ.

Sly and the Family Stone was formed in March 1967, and the band quickly made its way up the charts in the winter of 1968 with “Dance To the Music,” which was later chosen for the Grammy Hall Of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock.” Every composition of the band was penned by Stone.

This is a developing story and will be updated.