Sister Sledge’s Joni dies, aged 60

Sister Sledge. Photo: Press

Singer, songwriter and founding member of the disco group famous for ‘We Are Family’ has passed away of unknown causes

Joni Sledge, the vocalist, songwriter and member of the R&B family group Sister Sledge, has been found dead in her home in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 60 years old and the cause of death has yet to be established.

The news was confirmed by an announcement on the Sister Sledge official Facebook page, posted on Sunday 12 March, which read: “We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday. Please pray for us as we weep for this loss. We do know that she is now eternally with Our Lord.”

The group was formed in 1971 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Joni and her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy, and went on to achieve international success at the height of the disco era. Sister Sledge’s career took off with 1979’s We Are Family, their defining album created with Chic’s writer-producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, which went to spawn the Grammy winning title track and hit singles He’s The Greatest Dancer and Lost in Music. Joni was also a songwriter and producer, penning Brother, Brother Stop in 1996 for a Sister Sledge greatest hits album.

Rodgers commented on her passing with a message on Twitter, saying: “#RIPJoniSledge #WeAreFamily My heartfelt condolences to your family because they are my family too. We did…”

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