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Home » Hollywood » This Article

‘We Are Family’ singer dead at 60: Sister Sledge hit in gay comedy ‘Birdcage’

Posted by Chris Jennewein on March 12, 2017 in Hollywood | Leave a response
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Joni Sledge performs at a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert in Los Angles in 2006. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
Joni Sledge performs at a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert in Los Angles in 2006. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

Joni Sledge, who along with her siblings formed the group Sister Sledge and recorded the enduring hit “We Are Family” that reached millions as the enduring ending theme in the hit film “Birdcage,” has died.

She was 60, representatives for the group reported.

Sledge was found unresponsive at her home in Phoenix on Friday and the cause of death has not been determined, according to a statement from the band’s publicists.

The Philadelphia-born Joni Sledge, along with her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy, formed the group Sister Sledge in 1971.

“We Are Family” soared into the memory of millions of movie-goers when it was repeatedly played during the final scenes of the Robin Williams comedy American remake of the film about a gay couple trying to convince a conservative, right-wing politician that they are straight.

Aside from “We Are Family,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became an international hit, the group also was known for “He’s the Greatest Dancer,” “Lost in the Music” and a cover of the Motown classic “My Guy.”

Joni Sledge did not normally sing lead in the group, but she did on one popular song, “Reach Your Peak.”

Sister Sledge performed before Pope Francis in 2015 when he visited Philadelphia.

“Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family,” the Sledge Family said in a statement. “We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday.”

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— Reuters

‘We Are Family’ singer dead at 60: Sister Sledge hit in gay comedy ‘Birdcage’ was last modified: March 12th, 2017 by Chris Jennewein

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Posted in Hollywood | Tagged Joni Sledge, music, Phoenix, Sister Sledge, We Are Family

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