Joni Sledge from Sister Sledge died in her home on Friday night.
Joni was a member of disco group Sister Sledge, who she founded with her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy in the 70s. They influenced early dance music, with tracks such as ‘We Are Family’, ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’ and ‘Lost In Music’.
According to Biff Warren, the band’s publicist, Joni was found dead in her home in Phoenix, Arizona, by her friend, and the cause of death has not yet been identified.
After many years of struggles in the music industy, thanks to Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, who produced their album ‘We Are Family’, they found success with their Grammy-nominated title track, and both the song and album sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.
A family member said: “On yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We welcome your prayers as we weep the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin.”
