Photo: Press
Joni Sledge, vocalist with Sister Sledge, has died. A spokesperson for the group confirmed that Sledge, aged 60, had been found dead in her home in Phoenix, Arizona. The cause of death has yet to be established.
The Guardian reports that a statement from the family read: “On yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We welcome your prayers as we weep the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin.”
Joni formed Sister Sledge with her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy in Philadelphia in 1971. The group struggled for years to gain recognition but their fortunes changed after meeting Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. The two songwriters wrote and produced their album, We Are Family, and their first hit was the disco number 'He's The Greatest Dancer'.
Sister Sledge then hit paydirt with the smash hit single, 'We are Family', in 1979, a song that still packs dancefloors to this very day. Nominated for a Grammy, the single and the album went on to sell over 1m copies.
Sister Sledge went on to score further hits with 'Lost In Music', 'Thinking of You' and the UK number one, 'Frankie'.
