'We are family': Sister Sledge singer Joni Sledge dies aged 60

Sister Sledge: Joni (centre) with other family members in 2006
REUTERS
Tom Powell13 March 2017
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Sister Sledge star and ‘We are family’ singer Joni Sledge has died at the age of 60.

She was found unresponsive at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, according to the band’s publicist.

Ms Sledge and her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy formed Sister Sledge in 1971.

A statement on the group's Facebook page said: "Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday.

Joni Sledge died at her home in Arizona
REUTERS

"Please pray for us as we weep for this loss. We do know that she is now eternally with Our Lord.

"We thank you in advance for allowing us the privacy to mourn quietly as a family. We miss her and hurt for her presence, her radiance, and the sincerity with which she loved & embraced life."

The band's official Twitter page shared a photograph of Sledge with the caption: "We love you Joni."

He wrote on Twitter: "#RIPJoniSledge #WeAreFamily My heartfelt condolences to your family because they are my family too. We did something pretty amazing together."

La Toya Jackson also paid tribute to the singer, saying: "So sorry to hear that Joni Sledge has passed, my condolences to her family, friends and love ones. #Sistersledge we are family! #RIP", while TV star Ru Paul tweeted a screengrab of a Sister Sledge playlist with the short caption: "Sister Sledge Forever."

A cause of death has not been determined.

Ms Sledge is survived by an adult son.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT