Funk, rock and soul maverick Sly Stone died at 82 on Monday (June 9). According to a statement from his family, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s passing came after “a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues,” while he was surrounded by family and loved ones.

“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 statement continues.

That legacy is indeed a singular one, and he built most of it with his eponymous ’60s and ’70s group Sly & the Family Stone. With the band, Sly Stone both scaled the greatest heights of Flower Power utopianism and plumbed the lowest depths of Nixon-era disillusionment, with incisive lyrics, brilliant hooks and grooves that could be

See Full Page