Funk pioneer Sly Stone dies at 82

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone," his family said in a statement.

The multi-instrumentalist, who also struggled with drug problems, led the band "Sly and the Family Stone," a multiracial, mixed-race rock band, a rarity in the 1960s.

The group notably gave a memorable concert at the Woodstock festival in August 1969, where they arrived on stage shortly after 3:00 a.m. on the third day of this legendary event.

"Considering their late appearance, Sly and The Family Stone were remarkably fresh and in good shape," the festival's website notes. "The Woodstock concert is widely considered one of their finest performances."

In just five years, his inventiveness left an indelible impact on American and world music, from the group's first hit, "Dance to the Music," in 1967, and their song "Everyday People" a year later, to the 1970s rhythm and blues masterpiece, "If You Want Me to Stay."

For many, Sly Stone was a musical genius who created the sound of the future and laid the foundation for artists such as Prince, Miles Davis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and OutKast.

It was "like seeing a black version of the Beatles," funk legend George Clinton told CBS News of his longtime friend's stage presence. "He had the street sensibility, the church sensibility, and the Motown quality. He was all of that in one person."

However, Sly Stone struggled with the pressures of fame and spiraled into drug abuse. He missed gigs, his musical output became erratic, and the band disbanded in 1973.

Arrested multiple times due to his drug problems, he was even homeless for a time, living in a van, before managing to escape this downward spiral. In his memoirs, published in 2023, he said he managed to wean himself off drugs in 2019.

Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.