Funk musician Sly Stone died last night at the age of 82, after a long struggle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and other underlying health issues, according to a statement released by his family. There’s no better way to honor and remember this innovative legend than by watching Questlove’s 2025 Sly Stone documentary, Sly Lives! (Aka The Burden of Black Genius), which is now streaming on Hulu.
As the frontman, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist of his band Sly and the Family Stone, Sly Stone delivered some of the biggest funk rock hits of the ’60s, including “Dance to the Music” (1968), “Everyday People” (1968), “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (1969), and “Stand!” (1969). The band was known for its explicit political messaging, set to upbeat joyful music, in a way that perfectly captured the warring tension between revolution, progress, and civil liberties of the 1960s. But in 1983, following a struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, Sly Stone went into permanent retirement, and the band disbanded.
For decades, music lovers wondered what happened to Sly. So when musician and filmmaker Questlove announced that his next project to follow his Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul would be a deep-dive into Sly and the Family Stone, anticipation was high. Sadly, Sly himself was not interviewed in the documentary, which released via streaming on Hulu in February. Perhaps that was due to his struggle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which his family said led to Stone’s death, in addition to other ongoing health issues.
Though disappointing, once you let go of the expectation to see present-day Sly, this documentary is a fascinating profile of Sly’s career, as well as a thoughtful analysis of the pressure Sly faced as one of the most successful Black musicians of all time. And after you finish watching, be sure to watch Questlove’s Summer of Soul documentary—also streaming on Hulu—which features astounding restored footage of Sly’s joyful, rousing performance at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
The Sly Stone documentary Sly Lives is streaming on Hulu, free to anyone with a Hulu subscription. Right now, Hulu is the only place you can watch the documentary. (Or using the “Hulu on Disney+” option on Disney+.) You can not buy or rent Sly Lives! online.
If you’re new to Hulu, you can get started with a 30-day free trial on the streamer’s basic (with ads) plan. After the trial period, you’ll pay $9.99/month. If you want to upgrade to Hulu ad-free, it costs $18.99/month.
If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the Disney+ Bundles, all of which include Hulu. These bundles start at $10.99/month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and goes up to $29.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max, all ad-free.