Joni Sledge, Who With Sisters Recorded ‘We Are Family’, Dies at 60 Joni Sledge, who with her sisters recorded the enduring dance anthem "We Are Family," has died, the band's representative said Saturday. She was 60. Sledge was found dead in her home by a friend in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, the band's publicist, Biff Warren, said. A cause of death has not been determined. He said she had not been ill. "On yesterday, numbness fell upon our family. We welcome your ur prayers as we weep the loss of our sister, mother, aunt, niece and cousin," read a family statement. Sledge and her sisters Debbie, Kim and Kathy formed the Sister Sledge in 1971 in Philadelphia, their hometown, but struggled for years before success came.