Sly Stone, Maestro of a Multifaceted, Hitmaking Band, Dies at 82

Leading Sly and the Family Stone, he helped redefine the landscape of pop, funk and rock in the late 1960s and ’70s.

Sly Stone in 1973. Though he eventually receded from center stage, his vibrant, intricately arranged songs left their mark on countless artists.Credit...Michael Putland/Getty Images

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By Joe Coscarelli

Sly Stone, the influential, eccentric and preternaturally rhythmic singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer whose run of hits in the late 1960s and early ’70s with his band the Family Stone could be dance anthems, political documents or both, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 82.