Sly Stone, funk-rock pioneer and the frontman of the hit funk band Sly and the Family Stone, has died at 82.

The music pioneer succumbed after a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, his family said in a statement

“After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,” the statement reads, per Variety. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.”

In addition to their statement, the family shared that it has “recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course.”

Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, was born on March 15, 1943 in Denton, Texas before his family relocated to the Bay Area’s city Vallejo where started his music by mastering several instruments at an early age.