Sly Stone, the legendary bandleader of Sly and the Family Stone, has died at 82. These five songs show the power of his influence.

Sometimes death, as life, brings strange symmetries. Two music revolutionaries, Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, both died within two days of each other. Each was 82.

Stone had a capacity for summing up the zeitgeist of an America in social transition, from collective joy to racial harmony, and from the search for transcendence to the broken idealism in which the 1960s ended.

The legendary group, which fused funk, rock and soul into a new form, charted three Hot 100 No. 1s among 10 top 40 hits.

The legendary producer worshiped Sly Stone long before he became friends with the funk pioneer, who passed away at 82 on Monday.

According to his family, the legendary funk-rock pioneer died after a prolonged battle with COPD compounded by other health issues.

Sly Stone, funk pioneer and frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, died Monday at the age of 82, following what his family described as “prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues.” “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad,

You can hear Sly Stone's influence in tracks by 2Pac, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul --sampling classics like "Sing a Simple Song" and "Family Affair."