Groundbreaking trumpeter and singer Cynthia Robinson, a co-founder of the pivotal funk band Sly & The Family Stone, died Monday night at age 69. Her death was confirmed by her bandmate and friend Jerry Martini, another co-founder of the Family Stone.
In October, Robinson disclosed that she was suffering from cancer, in an online fundraiser launched to help defray her medical bills.
Robinson was an integral member of The Family Stone. It’s her voice that urges fans to “Dance to the Music,” and her horn that
blazed through the band’s sets, from hits like “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” to lesser-known gems like “Underdog.”
In a 2013 profile aired on Morning Edition, Robinson said that Sly Stone wanted the band to be a galvanizing social force. “He made things very simple: to stand for what you believe in,” she said. “He knew how to touch upon subjects that meant something to masses of people.”