Sister Sledge Singer Joni Sledge Dead at 60

Joni Sledge, one of the founding members of the family act Sister Sledge, has died at the age of 60, CBS New York reports.

Biff Warren, a publicist for Sister Sledge, said the singer had been found dead at home in Phoenix on Friday by a friend.

The family released a statement that read, "Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We are saddened to inform you that our dear sister, mother, aunt and cousin, Joni passed away yesterday. Please pray for us as we weep for this loss. We do know that she is now eternally with Our Lord."

The band, whose "We Are Family" went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 and became a disco classic, had performed together steadily since its formation in 1971. "We Are Family," with its lyric, "I got all my sisters with me," became a feminist anthem; the band posted a group portrait on Twitter in honor of International Women's Day on March 8.

On Saturday, the group's Twitter posted a radiant shot of Joni with the simple caption, "We love you Joni."

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Nile Rodgers, who co-wrote "We Are Family" with the late Bernard Edwards of Chic, posted a remembrance of Sledge on Twitter acknowledging their success with the song: