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Black America Web
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dead At 82, Social Media Remembers His Greatness
Source: Michael Putland / Getty Sylvester Stone, who, along with his band The Family Stone, had a major impact on rock, funk, R&B, and hip-hop music, has passed away. He was 82. His family says that the musician passed away after a health battle that included COPD, a progressive lung disease. 'After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family,' his family said in a statement obtained by Variety. '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.' In the '60s, Sly and the Family Stone released groundbreaking albums including Dance to the Music and There's a Riot Goin' On from 1967 to 1974. The multi-racial band included his brother, Freddie, on guitar and vocals, and his sister, Rose, on keyboard and piano, as well as Cynthia Robinson on trumpet and Larry Graham on bass. Their big hits included 'Dance to the Music,' 'Everyday People,' and 'I Want to Take You Higher.' Not only was the band one of the first of its era to feature both male and female instrumentalists, but it was also one of the first to include both men and women. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, on March 15, 1943, moved to Northern California with his family as a child. His musical career started with his siblings as the gospel group the Stewart Four. After studying music at Vallejo College, he became a radio personality at San Francisco's KSOL Radio and then moved on to producing artists at Autumn Records. He formed Sly and the Family Stone in 1966, and they soon reached the pinnacle of the music world in an era when rock and psychedelia dominated. They combined genres, incorporating funk, R&B, and soul, to craft their own unique sound in a world where rock stars were predominantly white and male. They, along with Jimi Hendrix and others, played the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969. The band was considered a direct influence on Prince's most commercially successful group, The Revolution, with which he performed during the Purple Rain era. It also included Black and white musicians and women who played instruments. Graham played in The New Power Generation, Prince's band in the 1990s, and remained connected to him throughout the latter part of his life. A proposed collaboration that Stone mentioned in his 2023 memoir never materialized, but the men shared mutual admiration for each other, and Prince often played covers of Stone's music in his live shows. Hip hop musicians sampled Stone as well. Dr. Dre and Snoop used 'Sing a Simple Song' for 'Deep Cover.' KRS used it as well for 'Sound of Da Police.' LL Cool J's song, 'Mama Said Knock You Out,' incorporates 'Trip To Your Heart.' Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Earlier this year, Questlove of The Roots directed a documentary on Stone called Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) for Hulu. Stone's career was derailed by drug abuse after the original Sly and the Family Stone broke up unofficially around 1975. He was at one time living in a van and was homeless, then spent years out of the public eye. However, Stone resurfaced in recent years, playing select live shows and contributing to the writing of his memoir and the documentary. His family's statement concluded, 'Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music. His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable. In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024.' Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dead At 82, Social Media Remembers His Greatness was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sly Stone, leader of Sly and the Family Stone, dead aged 82
Sly Stone, a funk-rock star who lead the group Sly and the Family Stone, has died aged 82, his family said. In a statement on Monday, they said that he died following a "prolonged battle" with COPD and other underlying health issues. "Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music," his family said. "His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable." He rose to stardom in the 1960s and 1970s after starting out as a DJ in San Francisco. Stone, whose real name was Sylvester Stewart, formed Sly and the Family Stone with his sisters and brother at a young age. Initially that band played gospel music but with time, they became known for blending music styles including psychedelia and funk. They played a memorable set at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and at the Summer of Soul concert in Harlem that same year. Stone "recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course", his family said. The band and Stone struggled in 1970s with some internal strife and drug issues and, while Stone occasionally played played alone, the band booked fewer gigs. Sly and the Family Stone was inducted into the the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Newsweek
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Shock As Millennial Teacher Shares 'Artifacts' From Youth With 6th Graders
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A history teacher in Alabama left her sixth-grade class astounded with a showcase of "artifacts" from her childhood. Malinda Nichols has taught history for 10 years and always strives to bring creative flair to the classroom, whether it's crafting parachutes like the ones the "Candy Bomber" used to deliver treats during the Berlin Airlift or tracing the journey to the 1969 Woodstock Festival. "My students don't just memorize 'dates and dead people,'" Nichols told Newsweek. "They step into the shoes of the people who lived and created history through hands-on simulations, civil discourse, examining multiple perspectives, asking hard questions, creative writing, and primary source analysis." Nichols is right to take this focus. A survey of just over 1,800 people by the American Historical Association found a little over three out of every four high school students polled felt history focused on memorizing names, dates and facts. Her aim is to make it "active, relevant and deeply human." That aim was what informed her creation of the "Museum of the Millennial" for a recent sixth grade social studies class. History teacher Malinda Nichols and her Museum of the Millennial. History teacher Malinda Nichols and her Museum of the Millennial. hipsterhistorywithmrsn /Instagram It was an idea that first sparked to life last summer, during a family vacation in Colmar, France. "We visited a toy museum with a perfectly preserved 1980s childhood bedroom on display," said Nichols. By creating an exhibit that revisited the technology and pop culture of her youth, Nichols saw an opportunity to get her students thinking about history and how "their parents live it and even they are stewards of their own historical legacy." As a teacher of modern U.S. history, she often found herself during lessons on topics like the Cold War and fall of the Berlin Wall telling classes "your parents lived through this, talk to them about it." The Museum of the Millennial felt like a natural extension of this but, in order to be effective, it would require the ideal primary sources; the parents. She emailed moms and dads pitching an idea for a "reverse show and tell" where they would come in and surprise the class by presenting on the personal cultural touchstones that shaped their young lives. "The response was incredible," Nichols said. "Parents supplied every artifact you see except the orange New Kids on the Block lunchbox, that one is mine." On the day of the museum's opening, Nichols had parents hide in the hallway, while she "dialed into" AOL Instant Messenger before opening the door to reveal her guest historians: the assembled crew of parents, many of whom dressed up in clothes of the era. School kids learned about Game Boys and playing POGs. School kids learned about Game Boys and playing POGs. hipsterhistorywithmrsn /Instagram Everything was done with a focus on helping students understand the major cultural and technological shifts that shaped their parents' generation. "We raised Tamagotchi pets and felt the thrill of seeing Home Alone in a packed theater. We watched the twin towers fall in real time. We saw the rise of Blockbuster, the birth of YouTube, and the shift from landlines to cellphones. We were the ones who said goodbye to analog and hello to the digital age," Nichols said. "That's pretty historic." The response among students was a mix of excitement and shock. "I passed out questions for them to ask that aligned with my state's history standards like, 'How did you find your way before GPS' and 'Would you consider yourself a latchkey kid?," Nichols said. "They couldn't fathom how long it took for us to do things they take for granted." Parents explained how to get Nintendo cartridges to work, the best method for rewinding a cassette tape, the lengths they had to go to find out how much a baseball card was worth and what texting on a PalmPilot was like. "I even did a small group instruction on how to play POGS!" Nichols said The next day kids were allowed to pick one item from the previous lesson to research further. "The most popular were Beanie Babies, Tamagotchis, and the Furby," she said. A regular presence on TikTok and Instagram with posts shared under the handle @hipsterhistorywithmrsn, Nichols' Museum of the Millennial ended up going viral on TikTok, with a video showcasing the day's activities racking up almost 800,000 views. While the extra attention is undoubtedly motivated in part by nostalgia, Nichols hopes her efforts show the possibilities when subjects like history are taught "with purpose, creativity, and emphasizes the connection of our shared humanity." Parents showed how flip phones worked, how to rewind a tape with a pencil and the inner workings of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Parents showed how flip phones worked, how to rewind a tape with a pencil and the inner workings of the Nintendo Entertainment System. hipsterhistorywithmrsn /Instagram The Museum of the Millennial gave students a chance to compare and contrast the world of yesterday with life as we know it now. It gave Nichols the chance to do the same. "The best part was growing up without hyper-connectivity and constant access to everything. Ask any teacher, and they'll tell you that the skills built through productive struggle have left the building. Why take the time to understand an issue when an influencer, AI, or Google can just tell you?," she said. "However, growing up as a millennial also meant pioneering the internet with no parental safety controls. AOL chat rooms were our Wild West." There have been improvements though. "The internet and social media have also created space for more voices in much-needed conversations that were often dismissed when millennials were growing up," she said. Right now Nichols is the one comparing then with now, but one day, those sixth graders will be the ones fielding questions from kids asking about what 2025 was like. They will have quite a story to tell.
