Photo of Sister Sledge courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
Sister Sledge founding member Joni Sledge has died of unknown causes at the age of 60. She passed away on Friday at her home in Phoenix, and the remaining members of the disco and R&B band, Debbie and Kim Sledge, announced the news on Saturday in a post on Facebook.The band's best-known songs include the hits "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer," which both featured on their 1979 LP We Are Family produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Sister Sledge was founded in Philadelphia in 1971."We thank you in advance for allowing us the privacy to mourn quietly as a family," they said in the Facebook post. "We miss her and hurt for her presence, her radiance, and the sincerity with which she loved and embraced life."Rodgers took to Twitter on Saturday to mourn Sledge's death, express his condolences to the Sledge family, and commemorate their work together.
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In an interview with The Guardian last year Joni Sledge said that recording "We Are Family" was "like a one-take party—we were just dancing and playing around and hanging out in the studio."Follow Alexander on Twitter.The Recording Session That Changed Our Lives - — Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers)March 12, 2017