Sly, who was born in Texas and started making music with his siblings as a kid, worked as a DJ in San Francisco circa 1967. He became well-known in the Bay Area and once said, “In radio, I found out about a lot of things I don’t like. Like, I think there shoudn’t be ‘Black radio.’ Just radio. Everybody be a part of everything.”
Sly poses with the members of Sly & The Family Stone in 1968. The band came together between 1966 and 1967 and included Sly’s siblings, cousins, and other musicians.
Sly wears a sparkling costume that showed off his influential fashion sense on a 1971 episode of The Midnight Special.
Sly exhales smoke during an interview in 1969 at a radio station in San Diego. That year, the band’s album Stand! became a breakout hit with the song of the same name, plus “I Want to Take You Higher” and “Everyday People.”
The members of Sly & The Family Stone strike a pose together in 1968. By then, the band had seen the chart-topping success of hits like “Dance to the Music” and “Everyday People.”
Sly Stone hangs out with band members Gregg Errico, Larry Graham, Jerry Martini, and Freddie Stone during a portrait session at CBS Studios in 1968.
Sly and his sister Rose Stone rehearse ahead of their 1968 performance on the TV show Kraft Music Hall. Rose sang and played keyboards; later she recorded a solo album on Motown Records.
Sly tries on a necklace that shows off his fashion sense during a photoshoot in 1969. His style inspired many artists across genres in rock, soul, jazz, and later, hip hop genres.
Sly Stone hangs out with record executive Clive Davis in 1970. Davis played a major role signing Sly in 1967, though their relationship became complicated down the line.
Sly stikes a pose during a photoshoot in 1974. By the Seventies, some of the relationships in the band had grown more complicated due to tension and drug use. They still released There’s a Riot Goin’ On in 1971 and Fresh in 1973.
Sly sits for photos in London in 1973. In the Seventies, a lot of the band’s recordings featured Sly playing several instruments, since the group had begun to disintegrate.
Sly and model/actress Kathy Silva kiss during their wedding reception. The couple married during a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden. Their gold outfits, immortalized in photos, were designed by the designer Haltson.
Sly performs during the famed Madison Square Garden concert, where he married Kathy Silva on June 5, 1974.
Sly energizes the crowd during an anniversary performance the band did in 1973.
Though Sly faced difficulty after his band broke up, he went on a few solo tours, including one with Bobby Womack in1984. Here, they pose backstage at a show at the Beacon Theater.
In 1993, Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall. Sly surprised fans when he came onstage to accept the award, marking one of his few public appearances during this period.
Sly performs and participates in a tribute for Sly & the Family Stone at the Grammy Awards in 2006. It was his first public appearance since he was honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Though his appearances in later years were few and far between, Sly did make time for a few live sets. Here, he performs with the Family Stone at B.B. Kings in 2007 in New York City.
Actress Rosanna Arquette cheers Sly on as he performs during Coachella in 2010. The performance was a controversial one that ended when Sly left the stage early, and one of the last few times many fans got to see him onstage.
Sly and George Clinton, two legendary funk masters, hang out backstage before Clinton takes the stage at a concert in Los Angeles in 2009. The two of them collaborated over the years and shared several moments together.