Joni Sledge, a member of Sister Sledge, has died, aged 60.
Sledge was discovered dead at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, by a friend on Friday. The band’s publicist, Biff Warren, said a cause of death has not been established and that Sledge had not been ill.
“Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family,” a statement released on Facebook read.
“We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday.”
It added: “We miss her and hurt for her presence, her radiance, and the sincerity with which she loved and embraced life.”
Joni, the second eldest of the Philadelphia-born Sledge sisters, co-founded Sister Sledge along with Debbie, Kim and Kathy in 1971.
Only when they met Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of the hit group Chic did they find fame. Edwards and Rodgers wrote and produced their album We Are Family, and soon the women had their first major hit with their song ‘The Greatest Dancer,‘ which became a top 10 hit in May 1979.
