Born on March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Sylvester Stewart came from a family of devout Christians who took their beliefs with them when they moved to Vallejo, California, a suburb northwest of San Francisco. Reared on church music, he was 8 when he and three of his siblings recorded a gospel single as The Stewart Four.

Sly Stone, a Grammy winner whose pioneering funk-rock group Sly and the Family Stone produced groundbreaking albums and singles died June 9. He was 82.

Sly Stone died on Monday, June 9 at the age of 82, his family announced. The musician was best known as the leader of Sly and the Family Stone, the influential psychedelic soul and funk band that played Woodstock.