Attachment 12689 Really heartbroken and saddened by the news. I had the chance to meet her on three occasions and she was friendly and funny each time. That's me standing next to her in the pic.
When Debbie Sledge posted this photo she captioned it "the best lunch ever" and it really was. Since I was a kid I crushed really hard on the group Sister Sledge. So much so that I can remember in 7th grade myself and a friend arguing over which member was our girlfriend. They were beautiful, obviously talented, poised and well spoken and they made great music. Though the hits were awesome for some reason I always gravitated to the lesser known album cuts. Meeting them was something that I had given up on decades ago even though as a photographer I've met more celebrities than I can remember. In 2014 I was able to meet all four sisters on various occasions and did I get to meet them in a big way. It was in New York City and what I thought would be a photo op turned into something bigger. After a show, myself and a few others were able to hang around and talk with Joni and Debbie Sledge. They were very warm, inviting and very gracious. As if meeting them wasn't enough, they surprised us all with gifts from the world class travel store TUMI [[talk about classy). I received a beautiful wallet and a money clip with the inscription JC.SS. When I thanked Joni for it, she said may it bring blessings and prosperity in every aspect of your life. I thought to myself what nice people and what a great night. As if that wasn't enough, I was informed that we would be having lunch with Joni and Debbie Sledge. I felt like an audience member on an Oprah give-away show. We met the next day at a cafe in upper Manhattan and what could have been a fan out turned into a meeting of old friends eating, talking and laughing. The lunch lasted for hours as the conversations shifted from cooking to travel to growing up to old photographs and music of course. Debbie had to leave but Joni hung out with us a bit longer sharing more funny stories. She told us that Kim wanted to join us but she would be arriving later that evening. She made sure that the waiter was well taken care of since we held his table up for so long. It was childhood dream come true and a bond that was established. When Joni broke her ankle last summer, I inboxed her just to check up on her. The conversation turned around to her checking up on me. She lived life to the fullest and touched many lives in the process. Joni Sledge you will truly be missed but I thank you for the best lunch ever.
