It is with sadness that we note the passing of rock & funk legend Sly Stone of Sly & the Family Stone. He died at the age of 82 after a long battle with COPD. Sly was one of the rare musicians who managed to find a sizeable audience of both white and black fans in what was sometimes the very polarized 1960s. His career reached its peak with the band's performance at Woodstock in the summer of 1969 and the subsequent release of the film of that concert.
Unfortunately, following that triumph, drug abuse and erratic behavior brought his career to a virtual standstill just a few years later. The Family Stone disbanded in 1974, and Sly himself ceased recording music after 1982.
However, his contributions to the music of the 60s, as well as the legion of artists he inspired, will ensure that his legacy and his music will live on.
