Revolutionary musician, Sly Stone, has died aged 82

Revolutionary musician and dynamic showman, Sly Stone, one of the pioneers of funk music, has died at the age of 82.

In poor health in recent years, his family says he passed away after a battle with obstructive pulmonary disease and other health issues.

He was the driving force behind Sly and the Family Stone, the first major multiracial American band, that transformed popular music in the 1960s and 1970s.

It was a blowout of frantic horns, rapid-fire guitar, and locomotive rhythms, a melting pot of jazz, psychedelic rock, doo-wop, soul, and the early grooves of funk.

Stone was perhaps best known for his performance in 1969 at the historic Woodstock music festival, the hippie culture's coming-out party.

The group was a regular on the US music charts at the time, with hits such as "Dance to the Music", "I Want to Take You Higher", "Family Affair", and "Everyday People".

The songs were anthems of community, non-conformity and a brash and hopeful spirit. The group released five top 10 singles, three of them hitting No. 1, and three million-selling albums.

But he later fell on hard times and became addicted to cocaine, never staging a successful comeback.

The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and Stone was celebrated in an all-star tribute at the Grammy Awards in 2006.