They formed in 1971 in their hometown of Philadelphia with Debbie, Joni, Kim and Kathy.

Their mother, Florez Sledge, was an actress, their father, Edwin Sledge a tap dancer on Broadway, their grandmother Viola, an opera singer and protege of Mary McLeod Bethune.

We Are Family was released in 1978 and their best known song.

He’s the Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, and My Guy were also big hits for them.

They appeared on The Jeffersons and also performed.

They became a trio in 1989 when Kathy left the group.

In 2015 they performed for Pope Francis.

They last performed together in October 2016.

They were scheduled to perform in Los Angeles in March of 2017.

Joni Sledge sunrise 9/13/56, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sunset 3/10/17, Phoenix, Arizona.