Sly Stone Now Homeless and Living Out Of A Van In L.A.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/the_rise_and_fall_of_sly_stone_qijyKoYzmAqer1PA0Yo gSJ?utm_campaign=Post10&utm_source=Post10Alpha

[soulster]

From what I understand, Sly suffers from mental illness and he's off his meds.

[marv2]

When I heard this story reported on the radio here in New York earlier this week, I could hardly believe it. They gave details on how Sly ended up in this predicament. It seems that he, like so many others before him got into a very bad business deal with his manager. Sly signed away all future royalties he was still entitled to [[after selling his catalog of songs to Michael Jackson years ago,) to his manager in exchange for a regular weekly "paycheck"! How much he was to receive weekly from the arrangement was not disclosed, but combine that with his well known drug habit and it would not have lasted very long. Sad to see this happen to a true American Music innovator. It is also sad because it seems that not many people care and that is how it usually is here in America. Once an artist is past their initial stage of popularity, we throw them away...........

[stephanie]

I read that Sly likes to live in vans but it is still not right that he shouldnt get the money that is due to him. What a sad state of affairs.

[soulster]

I read that Sly likes to live in vans but it is still not right that he shouldnt get the money that is due to him. What a sad state of affairs.

Like I said, he has a mental condition and does not take his meds. And remember, he has a decades-old history of drug abuse, which can certainly screw you up. He may not have been of sane mind when he signed away his royalties. No one was around to watch over him. That is part of how he lost his millions in such a short time. Four years!

[splanky]

Unfortunately a lot of Sly's problems over the years have been due to his own bad judgements, excesses and self abuses,
like most fallen stars. Not saying I totally believe the "facts" of this story, I mean it was from The New York Post...cough
cough...and though I don't necessarily believe any biography to be gospel, I will for the second time recommend to this forum that anyone interested in knowing more about the history of Sly and The Family Stone than a surface level pop bio
will contain would do well to read one or two of the books available in bookstores and libraries...

http://books.google.com/books?id=i-RLH9DItDAC&dq=sly+stone&hl=en&ei=BQyHTpHbGIr40gHqo83MCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA

[sunshineonacloudyday]

I feel fortunate to have seen Sly & the Family Stone perform live in the SF Bay Area when they first began. AND, your house party wasn't a party unless you blasted Sly across the entire neighborhood, which let folks know there was a party going on :)

Like so many other artists of his generation, the party continued far too long, and the excesses took a toll on his health. I last saw Sly & The Family Stone about 3 years ago. The band was HOT, "Cynthia [[still) on the horns", and in the brief time Sly was onstage--maybe 20 min--the crowd was electrified. When Sly sung "If You Want Me To Stay", he was Sly just as I remembered him from 40 years ago.

[soulster]

I was advised that the latest book is a hit job.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

Soulster,

I'm not sure which book you refer to as a "hit job", but Jeff Kaliss' book [[which I haven't read), was being sold in the lobby of the Sly & Family Stone concert I attended in 2008. Presumably, Sly & the band didn't object.

I would love to see a book by Family Stone band members Cynthia Robinson [[trumpet), Jerry Martini [[sax), and/or "Little Sister", Rose, who've all kept the music alive over the years and played on like the pros they are, whether Sly showed up or not.

[Roberta75]

Drug addiction is a very serious illness and poor Sly Stone needs 12 step therapy and major counseling. I pray to God he gets the help he needs.

[splanky]

Hmmm....I wonder immensely who advised soulster Mr Kaliss's book was a "hit job". Granted, a lot of it is not pretty,
definitely not for the starry eyed, weak stomached fans but surely a realistic portrayal of the level of madness that often
accompanies genius in many of our most creative individuals...
About Jeff Kaliss:
http://www.leckeragency.com/authors/kaliss.html