The front man for one of the most well-known funk, rock and soul bands, Sly & the Family Stone, Sly Stone, has passed away. He was 82.
“After a prolonged battle with COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,” a statement from his family reads. “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.”
By age 8, Stone was recording gospel music with his siblings, Freddie, Rose and Vaetta as The Stewart Four. You can hear Stone as a child belting out “On the Battlefield of the Lord” on a single they recorded in 1952.
He was still in grade school when a friend misspelled ‘Sylvester’ as “Sly.” The nickname stuck. By age 11, Stone became proficient in keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. In high school, he’d formed a multi-racial doo-wop group, The Viscaynes, which recorded some singles in Los Angeles.
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As a young man, Stone was a successful disc jockey for KSOL, an R&B radio station in San Mateo, California. His playlists included popular records by white artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
During this time Stone also worked as a record producer for Autumn Records, producing San Francisco-area bands. One of the Stone-produced singles was Bobby Freeman’s “C’mon and Swim,” which reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop chart in 1964.
Stone and his brother Freddie merged their own bands together in 1966 to form Sly & the Family Stone. In it, women – notably – were not just vocalists but also played instruments, a rarity for the era. And it included both Black and white musicians. Within a few years, the group was turning out hits such as “Everyday People,” “Family Affair,” and “Dance to the Music.”
The Disease that Took His Life
African Americans experience a disproportionate burden of COPD, developing the disease at younger ages, even with less intense smoking histories, and facing poorer outcomes compared to other racial groups. This disparity is linked to various factors, including socioeconomic inequalities, environmental exposures, and systemic biases within healthcare.
Symptoms to Look for
- Shortness of breath: This is a hallmark symptom, often starting with mild exertion and progressing to difficulty breathing even at rest.
- Chronic cough: A persistent cough, sometimes producing a lot of mucus, is a common early sign.
- Wheezing: A whistling or squeaking sound when breathing, often caused by narrowed airways.
- Chest tightness: A feeling of pressure or discomfort in the chest.
- Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired and lacking energy.
- Frequent respiratory infections: More frequent and severe colds or lung infections.
- Swelling in ankles, feet, or legs (peripheral edema): This can occur in advanced cases due to fluid retention.
- Loss of appetite and/or weight loss: Can occur in severe COPD cases.
Specific Challenges Faced by African Americans with COPD:
Early-onset COPD:
African Americans are more likely to develop COPD at younger ages, even with less extensive smoking histories.
Poorer Outcomes:
They tend to experience more severe exacerbations, reduced quality of life, and higher mortality rates compared to non-Hispanic whites.
Undiagnosed or Late-Stage Diagnosis:
COPD may go undiagnosed or be diagnosed at later stages in African Americans, potentially due to limitations in diagnostic criteria and disparities in healthcare access.
Socioeconomic Factors:
Low socioeconomic status, limited access to healthcare, and environmental exposures contribute to poorer health outcomes in this population.
Structural Racism:
Systemic racism and discriminatory practices within healthcare can lead to disparities in access to quality care and treatment.
Comorbidities:
African Americans with COPD often have higher rates of other health conditions like asthma, which can exacerbate COPD symptoms and worsen overall health.
Research Gaps:
Underrepresentation in COPD research studies limits our understanding of the specific needs and challenges faced by African Americans with COPD
His Music Lives on in Hip-Hop & Rap
Many of Sly’s songs live on in today’s most famous hip-hop hits. Such as:
The band’s “Sing a Simple Song” (1968) was sampled in countless hit songs like “Deep Cover” by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (1992), “Temptations” by 2Pac (1995), and “Sound of Da Police” by KRS-One (1993).
Another song, “Trip to Your Heart” (1967), was sampled in LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” (1990) and “Funkadelic Relic” by LL Cool J (1993).
Sly’s “You Can Make It if You Try” (1969) was sampled in “Because I Got It Like That” by Jungle Brothers (1988), “Hit It From the Back” by Mobb Deep (1993), and “Wicked” by Ice Cube (1992).
How Will People Remember Sly Stone?
Along with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone were pioneers of late 1960s and early 1970s funk. Their fusion of R&B rhythms, infectious melodies, and psychedelia created a new pop/soul/rock hybrid, the impact of which has proven lasting and widespread. Motown producer Norman Whitfield, for example, patterned the label’s forays into harder-driving, socially relevant material (such as The Temptations’ “Runaway Child” and “Ball of Confusion”) based on their sound. The pioneering precedent of Stone’s racial, sexual, and stylistic mix, had a major influence in the 1980s on artists such as Prince and Rick James. Legions of artists from the 1990s forward – including Public Enemy, Fatboy Slim, Beck, Beastie Boys and LL Cool J’s popular “Mama Said Knock You Out” along with many others – mined Stone’s seminal back catalog for hook-laden samples.[9]
“The most talented musician I know is Sly Stone,” Bootsy Collins said in an interview with Mojo. “He’s more talented than anybody I ever have seen – he’s amazing. I worked with him in Detroit from 1981 to ’83, and to see him just fooling around, playing, jamming, is a whole other trip. He’s the most amazing musician.”
