Nile Rodgers leads tributes to late Joni
NILE Rodgers leads tributes to the late Joni Sledge.
The Sister Sledge musician was 60 years old when she was found dead at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday ( Mar 10), and the Chic guitarist - who co-wrote the soul group's biggest ever single ‘We Are Family' in 1979 - has taken to Twitter to share his condolences to the star's family.
Taking to the social media site on Saturday night ( Mar 11), the 64-year- old musician wrote: “RIPJoniSledge #WeAreFamily “# RIPJoniSledge #WeAreFamily My heartfelt condolences to your family because they are my family too. We did something pretty amazing together (sic)”
And the Twitter account for the ‘ Lost in Music' singers - also comprised of Joni's sisters Debbie and Kim, and Kathy before her departure in 1989 - tweeted a picture of the late star in her memory.
They wrote alongside image: “We love you Joni.”
Meanwhile, Nile's tweets come after Joni revealed last year that she would love to collaborate with the music legend again in the future, as she dubbed him a “musical genius”. the
Asked if they'd collaborate with the ‘Get Lucky' hitmaker again, Joni exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “Why not? I love Nile he's great. He's got his own style he's great to work with. And he is a musical genius it would be nice to work with him again.”
Sister Sledge's publicist Biff Warren confirmed the news of Joni's passing late on Saturday.
A statement written by her family read: “Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. Pray for us as we weep for the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin Joni Sledge. We thank you for privacy as we hurt for her presence, but also for embracing her radiance and the sincerity with which she loved life.”
Joni is survived by her three sisters, as well as her son Thaddeus.