Funk music pioneer Sly Stone has died aged 82 after ‘a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues’ according to a family statement. He leaves behind a career filled with influential, experimental and uplifting music that’s soundtracked generations of dancefloors

Stone's band transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s and beyond with such hits as “Everyday People,” “Stand!” and “Family Affair."

American songwriter lit up generations of dancefloors with his group Sly and the Family Stone