Joan Elise Sledge (September 13, 1956 – March 10, 2017) was an American singer best known as a founding member of the family vocal group Sister Sledge. The group was known for their hits during the mid-1970s through the mid-1990s; most notably 1979's " We Are Family" and "

He's the Greatest Dancer "He's the Greatest Dancer" is a 1979 song by the American vocal group Sister Sledge. Released on February 3, 1979, the song was written and composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and recorded for the group's successful 1979 album '' We ...

Biography

Sledge was born the third of five daughters in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to Edwin Sledge, a

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perf ...

r, and his actress wife, Florez (''née'' Williams). Described as a warm extrovert, Sledge attended

Olney High School Olney Charter High School, formerly Aspira Charter School at Olney, and Olney High School, is a public high school located in the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Previously directly controlled by the School District of Philade ...

, graduating in 1974. Sledge majored in communications while in college and began acting in school productions at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

.Ebony Magazine – February 1980
/ref> During her sophomore year at Temple, she directed her first stage-play "Wild Flower", written by Hazel Bright and produced by Ron Alexander. Sometime during her career, Sledge briefly lived in Paris, France and studied at

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sor ...

. In addition to singing, Sledge was also a songwriter and producer; writing and producing the song "Brother, Brother Stop" for a Sister Sledge greatest hits album in 1996. Sledge's production of their album ''African Eyes'' which was released in 1997 was nominated for a best-production Grammy.

Personal life and death

Sledge had one child, a son named Thaddeus Everett Whyte IV from her marriage to Thaddeus E. Whyte III which was from 1992 until 2000. Sledge, at age 60, was found dead by a friend at her home on March 11, 2017, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. Her death was originally attributed to unknown circumstances as she had no known illnesses, according to close family sources. On March 14, 2017, Sledge's cause of death was ruled "natural causes" related to a pre-existing condition.

Filmography

* 1975: '' Soul Train'' — Herself (4 episodes) (1977, 1982, 1983) * 1975: '' The Midnight Special'' — guest singer with Spinners performing their hit song " Then Came You".The Spinners & Joni Sledge (Then Came You) 1975
/ref> * 1979: '' American Bandstand'' — Herself (3 episodes; 1980, 1981) * 1980: ''The John Davidson Show'' — Herself (1 episode) * 1981: ''Kids Are People, Too'' — Herself (1 episode) * 1982: '' Fridays'' — Herself (1 episode) * 1984: ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...

'' — Joni Satin (Season 10, Episode 16; My Guy, George) * 2000: ''100 Greatest Dance Songs of Rock & Roll'' — Herself * 2006: ''Archive Footage:Be My Baby: The Girl Group Story'' — Herself (uncredited) * 2008: ''

Soul Power "Soul Power" is a song by James Brown. Brown recorded it with the original J.B.'s (plus Fred Wesley) and it was released as a three-part single in 1971. Like "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and other hits from this period it features ...

'' — Herself (with Sister Sledge) (uncredited; 1974 concert series from "

The Rumble in the Jungle George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Rumble in the Jungle'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium (now the Stade Tata Raphaël) in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of t ...

" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sledge, Joni 1956 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Philadelphia American disco musicians 20th-century African-American women singers Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women Sister Sledge members