Singer Joni Sledge, founding member of the iconic musical group Sister Sledge, has passed away. According to a statement released by the group’s reps, Sledge was found unresponsive at her home in Phoenix, Arizona on March 10 and was later pronounced dead. She was 60.

Joni, along with her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy, joined forces in 1971 to form Sister Sledge, a group that crossed genres to attain massive success. In addition to amassing a string of gold and platinum plaques, Sister Sledge is perhaps best known for their 1979 the hit, “We Are Family.”

The Sledge family released a statement on Facebook about Joni’s death.

Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday. 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.

Joni Sledge’s cause of death is currently unknown and according to her family, a memorial service will be announced early next week. In addition to her beloved sisters, she is survived by her adult son.

They had so many great songs RIP

Legendary. R.I.P.

SISTER SLEDGE - WE ARE FAMILY (1979)

Sister Sledge - Lost in Music (1979)

Sister Sledge - Frankie (1985)

Hopefully with Joni's passing this will bring the closure of the feud with the other sisters and Kathy. I know Kathy is going through it right now.

via Kathy Sledge on FB

❤ My sister and I were blessed to be able to see each other and put any differences behind us and love on each other as sisters. God is Merciful.
Thank you for your heartfelt condolences.

getxxxx said:

had such a crush on her back in the day

RIP Joni

Loved them back in the day.

RIP Joni!

getxxxx said:

Hopefully with Joni's passing this will bring the closure of the feud with the other sisters and Kathy.

I was disappointed to hear about their feud.Kathy recently announced a new tour called "Kathy Sledge Presents My Sisters And Me",but it's not a Sister Sledge reunion at all.It is a show with her,Deniece Williams,Cece Peneston and Karyn White “I love performing with these sisters on stage,” she said. “One of the challenges that I had with my own sisters was it got to a place where they told me I couldn’t be the lead singer anymore. It got to a place where I decided to collect some of the most amazing female artists that I knew to perform with.”

Shoot! I was just listening to one of their albums today. I never understood that silly fued. It all started when Kathy went solo. The group was done with hit records by that time and Kathy's solo career tanked right out of the gate. But they were still fueding over the name Sister Sledge and whether or not Kathy could use it. Kathy was estranged from her sisters for so long over such silliness. I don't know about the other two but I'm glad Kathy and Joni were able to put their differences aside.

RIP Joni

© The Associated Press File- This Aug. 14, 2006 file photo shows Joni Sledge, one of the original members of "Sister Sledge," second from left, posing with Rodney Jerkins, second from right, her niece Camille Sledge, left, and her cousin Amber Sledge…

NEW YORK (AP) — Joni Sledge, who with her sisters recorded the enduring dance anthem "We Are Family," has died, the band's representative said Saturday.

She was 60.

Sledge was found dead in her home by a friend in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, the band's publicist, Biff Warren, said. A cause of death has not been determined. He said she had not been ill.

"On yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We welcome your prayers as we weep the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin," read a family statement.

Sledge and her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy formed the Sister Sledge in 1971 in Philadelphia, their hometown, but struggled for years before success came.

"The four of us had been in the music business for eight years and we were frustrated. We were saying: 'Well, maybe we should go to college and just become lawyers or something other than music, because it really is tough,'" Joni told The Guardian in an interview last year.

But then they met Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of the hit group Chic, and their breakout soon came. The pair wrote and produced their album "We Are Family," and soon the women had their first major hit with disco jam "The Greatest Dancer," which became a top 10 hit in May 1979. (It would sampled years later for Will Smith's hit "Getting Jiggy Wit It.")

But their biggest hit would come a month later with the title track, an infectious dance anthem that celebrated their familial connection with the refrain, "We are family, I got all my sisters with me." While it celebrated their sisterhood, the 1979 hit so also became an anthem for female empowerment and unity. It would become their signature hit, and was nominated for a Grammy. Both the song and album sold more than one million copies.

The women also had a hit with a cover of the Mary Wells song "My Guy" in 1982, but would never duplicate the success they had in the 1970s. Still, Sister Sledge continued; while sister Kathy left the group for a solo career, the trio of sisters continued to perform and record, including a performance for Pope Francis in 2015.

Warren said they last performed together in concert in October.

Joni Sledge is survived by an adult son, her sisters and other relatives.

And to think I was listening to some Sister Sledge tracks last night [Saturday, 3/12/2017]!

BTW, how many of you knew Saint Pepsi's Cherry Pepsi sampled Sister Sledge's BYOB [Bring Your Own Baby]?

TonyVanDam said:

Comser said:

lool said:

And there was a solo album about 10 years ago. Not sure if it was actually released.

it was sold via her website. all the sisters have solo projects, Kathy was the only one signed to a major.

died from a preexisting medical condition ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us there was no foul play, and the 60-year-old singer's cause of death will be listed as natural. Joni was found dead in her Arizona home on Friday.

A publicist for the disco greats said Joni had not been ill recently. It's still unclear what the fatal condition was, but we're told an autopsy was not necessary because her doctor signed off on "natural causes."

Goddess4Real said:

I was listening to that one ON SATURDAY!

This one's my favourite and even the YouTube code has my initials in it :