Questlove Remembers Sly Stone: “He Dared to Be Simple in the Most Complex Ways”

Questlove, who helmed Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), has paid tribute to the documentary’s subject, Sly Stone, hours after the iconic artist died on Monday.

Stone died after a “prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues,” his family shared on Monday. He was 82.

“Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, left this earth today, but the changes he sparked while here will echo forever,” Questlove wrote in a tribute shared to his Instagram Monday. “From the moment his music reached me in the early 1970s, it became a part of my soul. 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. 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.”

With Sly Lives!, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, Questlove explored not only Stone’s life and legacy, but also the burden of success and the challenges faced by Black artists in America.

“Yes, Sly battled addiction. Yes, he disappeared from the spotlight. But he lived long enough to outlast many of his disciples, to feel the ripples of his genius return through hip-hop samples, documentaries, and his memoir,” Questlove said. “Still, none of that replaces the raw beauty of his original work. As I reflect on his legacy, two lines haunt me: ‘We deserve everything we get in this life’ — a line from the Sly Lives! documentary that feels like both a warning and a manifestation — and, of course, the eternal cry of ‘Everyday People’: ‘We got to live together!’ Once idealistic, now I hear it as a command. Sly’s music will likely speak to us even more now than it did then. Thank you, Sly. You will forever live.”

While Stone’s career was plagued by drug problems and periodic disappearances, he still made his mark on the music world with hits like “Everyday People,” “Dance to the Music,” “If You Want Me To Stay” and “Hot Fun In The Summertime.” Sly and the Family Stone was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

“Thankyoufaliftingushigher Sly,” Questlove wrote, conlcuding his post. “Love to your family, loved ones and every human whose life you came across and effected [sic]. All of you disciples will be geeked to receive you.”