Joni Sledge of disco group Sister Sledge has died. She was 60.
A rep for the band said she died in her home in Phoenix, Arizona on March 10. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
“Numbness fell upon our family,” read a statement from Sledge’s family. “We welcome your prayers as we weep the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin.”
Joni and sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy formed Sister Sledge in Philadelphia in 1971 but didn’t breakout until the release of the 1979 album We Are Family, thanks to its now-iconic title track.
Although Kathy left the group, Sister Sledge continued to perform up until last October.
Nile Rodgers, who produced We Are Family, tweeted: “My heartfelt condolences to your family because they are my family too. We did something pretty amazing together.”