Latest news with #SingaSimpleSong
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Thank You, Sly Stone
Let us begin with gratitude. Thank you, Sly Stone, for being so generous with your music before your death on Monday at the age of 82 — for the wealth of durable hits that includes 'Stand!,' 'Sing a Simple Song,' 'Everyday People,' 'Dance to the Music,' 'Family Affair,' and, yes, 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again).' Thank you, Sly, for effectively inventing 1970s funk and the career of Prince with that last song. Thank you, Sly for pulling together the Family Stone, a band of players and singers Black and white, male and female, that served as a music-world version of the original Sesame Street cast, bright with the 1960s promise of a multicultural future unbound by racial or genre distinctions. More from The Hollywood Reporter Kendrick Lamar Was the Top Winner at the 2025 BET Awards Tyler Perry Calls Out Hollywood Studios at BET Awards: "This Is Not the Time to Be Silent" SHINee's Key on K-pop Stardom After 30 and Reuniting with U.S. Fans And thank you, Sly, falettin me into your life in 2007. Permit me to explain. I grew up besotted with the music of the man born Sylvester Stewart in 1943. His songs defined my primordial years, osmosing straight into my bloodstream. In 1996, the year I became a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, I screwed up the courage to pitch the editor, Graydon Carter, the idea of my profiling Sly. Mr. Stone was in a bad place then. Actually, no one seemed quite sure what place he was in, having removed himself from public life after a bad 70s and 80s in which drugs and indolence robbed him of his joy and spark. It wasn't typical Vanity Fair material. But to my delight, Graydon said yes. Terrific! I started making phone calls. I got in touch with Greg Errico, the Family Stone's founding drummer, who invited me to watch him jam in a Bay Area rehearsal space with fellow original band members Freddie Stone (guitar, Sly's brother) and Jerry Martini (saxophone). Stonewalled by Sly's then manager, Jerry Goldstein, I reached out to his fellow record-industry machers Lou Adler and Richard Gottehrer, to advocate on my behalf. Despite their efforts, Goldstein was unmoved. Years passed. My wife and I welcomed two children into our family. A new millennium dawned. Then, early in 2007, I heard that the youngest of Sly's sisters, a singer born Vaetta and known as Vet, had coaxed Sly into performing a few dates with her band that coming summer. I contacted Vet and related to her my decade-plus of travails. She told me that if I was serious, I should get to Las Vegas pronto to see her band's show at the Flamingo Hotel. Sly, she said, was going to play. I asked her, given the predilection for no-shows that did in his career as a touring musician, if she was sure. 'All I can say is that I'm his little sister and he's never lied to me,' she said. Sly did show up — in a bizarre ensemble pulled from the Me Decade's dress-up bin, wearing platform boots, wraparound white sunglasses, and spangly newsboy knickers. It was a chaotic show in which he performed only a few songs. But when he sang a soft, unplugged version of 'Stand!,' with its affirming message In the end you'll still be you/ One that's done all the things you set out to do, he held the crowd rapt. It was evident that, whatever he had done to himself bodily and mentally, his voice and musicianship were intact. My reward for turning up was the first major interview he had granted in a couple of decades. We met in a motorcycle shop in his native Vallejo, California, called Chopper Guys Biker Products. I had a million questions. He answered them gnomically. When I asked him what he had been up to all these years, and if he was watching Seinfeld and American Idol like the rest of us, he said, 'I've done all that. I do regular things a lot. But it's probably more of a Sly Stone life. It's probably… it's probably not very normal.' The comeback that my Vanity Fair profile was meant to signal failed to materialize; he still had drug and business issues to sort out. But between then and now, he did finally get sober. Vet emailed me a photo of Sly contentedly dandling a grandson in his lap. In Questlove's excellent documentary released earlier this year, Sly Lives! (a.k.a. The Burden of Black Genius), his younger daughter, Novena, laughs at the unlikely circumstance to which she now regularly bears witness: 'He's kind of just like… a standard old Black man.' That he lived to become that is hope-giving. Sly is often upheld as as an avatar for how the utopianism of 1960s America curdled into solipsism, cynicism, and bad vibes. I am reminded of the title character's reproach of the Dude in The Big Lebowski: 'Your revolution is over, Mr. Lebowski. Condolences. The bums lost!' But in the long run, Sly won. He found redemptive happiness. His library of music remains as alive and vibrant as ever and shall forever transcend the circumstances of its making and what came after. Once again, Sly, thank you. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sly Stone, 82, dies after 'prolonged battle' with COPD: Signs, symptoms and risk factors
Sly Stone, the funk icon and frontman of the group Sly and the Family Stone, has died. The 82-year-old musician's family confirmed the death of their "beloved dad" following a "prolonged battle" with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and undisclosed "underlying health issues." "Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,' the family's June 9 statement read. 'While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.' This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, helped pioneer a new sound of funk, pop and rock in the '60s, '70s' and '80s with hits like "Dance to the Music," "Sing a Simple Song" and "Everyday People." Stone and his band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2006. "His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable." the family's statement continued. "In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024." Stone addressed his health issues in a 2023 interview with The Guardian. 'I have trouble with my lungs, trouble with my voice, trouble with my hearing and trouble with the rest of my body, too,' he said. Stone later added that his ailments, "haven't stopped me from hearing music, but they have stopped me from making it." What is COPD is it something you should worry about when it comes to your own health? Read on to learn more about COPD. COPD is a progressive lung disease that causes airways to become swollen and blocked. It's an umbrella term used to describe various lung conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, according to COPD Canada. In chronic bronchitis, the airways in your lungs become inflamed and narrowed. This means eventually, you will develop more mucus, leading to a persistent cough and difficulty breathing. For emphysema, the disease develops over time and involves the gradual damage of tiny air sacs in your lungs called alveoli. The damage eventually causes these air sacs to rupture, reducing the surface area that lets oxygen move through the bloodstream. The most common symptoms of COPD are difficulty breathing, chronic cough (sometimes with mucus) and feeling tired, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Canadian Lung Association added a person with COPD might also present some of the following symptoms: Feeling short of breath Lung infections (like the flu or pneumonia) that may last longer than they would in others Wheezing Losing weight without trying These symptoms can get worse quickly and may be called flare-ups. "These usually last for a few days and often require additional medicine," WHO stated. COPD develops over time, often as a result of a combination of risk factors, according to the WHO. These may include: Smoking or being exposed to second-hand smoke Exposure to dusts, fumes or chemicals in the workplace Indoor air pollution from sources like burning fuel for heat or coal to cook Asthma in childhood Early life events, including poor growth in utero, prematurity or frequent respiratory infections A rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency The Canadian Lung Association indicated adults over age 40 who smoke or previously smoked may be at risk of COPD. "It is important to speak to a healthcare provider if you are at risk of COPD, even if you don't have symptoms or have only mild symptoms," the organization stated. "COPD is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse over time." COPD is severely underdiagnosed, according to the health charity. That's because people living with the disease may not show any symptoms, or they link their symptoms to factors like age, a common respiratory infection or a "smoker's cough." Moreover, some people who have stopped smoking may believe they can no longer develop COPD. Historically, COPD was associated with older men who had a history of smoking. While the number of men and women who die of COPD in Canada each year is roughly equal, recent research has indicated COPD is likely underdiagnosed in women. The Canadian Lung Association shared women might also experience more severe symptoms and have earlier disease onset. Finally, over the past two decades, there has been a rising number of COPD hospitalizations for both women in the 40 to 64 age group as well as those older than 65. That's in addition to a decreasing number of hospitalizations in men. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lung Health Foundation (@lunghealthfoundation) In Canada, one in four people will be diagnosed with COPD. There are more than two million Canadians impacted by the disease, and a further one million likely living with the condition unknowingly. COPD is also the second-leading cause of hospitalization in Canada, behind only childbirth. Globally, the WHO has indicated COPD is the third-leading cause of death, causing more than three million deaths in 2019 alone. That year, there were more than 212 million prevalent cases of COPD reported worldwide. There is no cure for COPD. Still, there are ways to improve the condition and possibly slow its progression. Since the majority of COPD cases are related to using cigarettes, it's best to never smoke — or stop smoking now. Moreover, you should speak to your supervisor about protection if you work around occupational exposure to chemical fumes, dusts or anything other elements that may increase your risk for COPD.
