(Reuters) -Sly Stone, the driving force behind Sly and the Family Stone, a multiracial American band whose boiling mix of rock, soul and psychedelia embodied 1960s idealism and helped popularize funk music, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Monday.

Stone died after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other health issues, a statement from his family said.

“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,” the statement said.

Stone was perhaps best known for his performance in 1969 at the historic Woodstock music festival, the hippie culture’s coming-out party.

His group was a regular on the U.S. music charts in the late 1960s and 1970s, with hits such

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