Joni Sledge, of Legendary Group Sister Sledge, Has Died

Joni Sledge, one of the founding members of legendary musical group, Sister Sledge, has died. Sledge, 60, was discovered unresponsive at her home in Phoenix, AZ on Friday, March 10th, 2017. The cause of death is yet to be determined.

A statement from the Sledge Family states: “…numbness fell upon our family. We welcome your prayers as we weep the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni Sledge. We thank you for privacy and prayers during these very difficult times.”

Memorial services will be announced early next week.

Formed in 1971, in the city of Philadelphia, PA, Sister Sledge consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim and Kathy Sledge. The sisters saw the release of their breakthrough album “We Are Family,” which peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and went multi-platinum, boosted by the global anthem, “We Are Family.”

The “We Are Family” single reached number two on Billboard Hot 100 Chart and earned them a Grammy Award nomination. Their other US hits include a 1982 cover of “My Guy.” The group had several international hits including the UK Top 20 hits with “Mama Never Told Me” (1975), “He’s the Greatest Dancer” (1979), “We Are Family” (1979), “Lost In Music” (1979), and “Reach Your Peak” (1982) which Joni sang lead.

Thank you for your contributions to music Joni; R.I.P