Questlove, Chaka Khan, Clairo lead tributes to Sly Stone: “A true innovator and pioneer of funk”

June 10, 2025 10

Questlove, Chaka Khan, Clairo and more have lead tributes to the late Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone.

The funk pioneer died yesterday (June 9) aged 82 following “a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues”. His family added that Stone “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family.”

Now, tributes from artists have poured in to honour Stone’s legacy. Questlove, who recently directed the 2025 documentary Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), shared a lengthy tribute to the musician on Instagram.

“Sly was a giant — not just for his groundbreaking work with the Family Stone, but for the radical inclusivity and deep human truths he poured into every note,” he began. “His songs weren’t just about fighting injustice; they were about transforming the self to transform the world. He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries, and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths.

“His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.”

Chaka Khan also shared her own tribute to Stone, who she called “a true innovator and pioneer of funk who reshaped music and culture”. “His work with Sly & the Family Stone broke barriers – bringing together races, genders, and genres with bold sound and unapologetic joy,” she added.

Meanwhile, KISS frontman Paul Stanley shared his memories of watching Sly & The Family Stone open for Jimi Hendrix in 1968. “They were a freight train of bombastic, joyous SouI [sic] that would soon climb the charts and change the sound of R&B for so many other artists,” he wrote. “Rest In Soul!”

Others offering their own tributes include Clairo, who wrote “RIP. This one really hurts” and Chuck D of Public Enemy, who praised Questlove’s work on “keeping his fire blazing” and adding: “Rest in Beats”. Meanwhile, Fatboy Slim, who sampled Stone on his 2001 classic ‘Weapon of Choice’, wrote: “Goodbye Sly Stone. Thankyoufalletinusbeourselvesagain”.

Take a look at other tributes to the funk legend below:

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A post shared by Questlove (@questlove)

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A post shared by Chaka Khan (@chakakhan)

Sly Stone Has Died. In 1968 I saw Sly & the Family Stone debut at the Fillmore East in New York City opening for Jimi Hendrix. They were a freight train of bombastic, joyous SouI that would soon climb the charts and change the sound of R&B for so many other artists. Rest In Soul! pic.twitter.com/CM73zQe4CJ

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) June 9, 2025

Rest In Beats SLY Stone ..and we should THANK ⁦@questlove⁩ of ⁦@theroots⁩ for keeping his FIRE blazing in this Century. 2 documentaries and book . GET EM pic.twitter.com/avFoE2qUlA

— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) June 9, 2025