Joni Sledge has died.
Joni Sledge
The Sister Sledge musician was 60 years old when she was found dead at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday (10.03.17), the band's publicist Biff Warren revealed late on Saturday (11.03.17).
A statement written by her family read: "Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. Pray for us as we weep for the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin Joni Sledge. We thank you for privacy as we hurt for her presence, but also for embracing her radiance and the sincerity with which she loved life."
The 'Lost In Music' hitmakers - also comprised of sisters Debbie and Kim, and Kathy before her departure in 1989 - formed in 1971, and were regarded as one of the biggest disco acts in the world, having worked with the likes of the legendary Nile Rodgers whom they headlined Glastonbury festival with in 2013.
Sister Sledge - including Joni - appeared on UK talent competition 'The X Factor' in November last year, where they performed their hit single 'We Are Family' to mark the start of the show's disco themed week.
Prior to her passing, Joni had expressed a wish to take to the stage at the famous Glastonbury festival once again.
Asked by BANG Showbiz in March 2016 if Sister Sledge would want to perform at the festival again, Joni said: "I would really love to do that. I've heard about that and I think we should investigate it more. We would love it. We played Glastonbury already and I would love to do it again."
And Joni was also keen to collaborate with Nile Rodgers again in the future, as she dubbed him a "musical genius".
Asked if they'd collaborate with the 'Get Lucky' hitmaker again, Joni exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "Why not? I love Nile he's great. He's got his own style he's great to work with. And he is a musical genius it would be nice to work with him again."
Joni is survived by her three sisters, as well as her son Thaddeus.
Tagged in Nile Rodgers