A Sly and the Family Stone documentary will be released next year

Directed by Brady Spensor

A documentary about Sly and the Family Stone is set for release in 2019.

Directed by Brady Spensor, the documentary will showcase the life and legacy of the iconic funk musician as well as his money troubles and the Music Modernization Act that ultimately saved him from financial turmoil.

The founder of Sly And The Family Stone won a lawsuit against his former manager Gerald Goldstein and lawyer Glenn Stone in 2015, which he alleged that they had diverted money away from him to them for 11 years from 1989 to 2000.

The jury ended up awarding £1.6 million ($2.5 million) in damages to the singer against Even St Productions, the company with with which they made him sign an employment and shareholder agreement, as well as £1.6 million ($2.45 million) against Goldstein and £32,932 ($50,000) against Stone.

In 2011 Sly Stone entered rehab to seek treatment for drug addiction. That same year the funk singer revealed that he had been living out of a van in the LA neigbourhood Crenshaw. It was then that he opened the case against Goldstein, suing him for $50 million.

Spensor conducted several interviews with the reclusive artist for the documentary in what’s described as a decade-long process. “It took months before Sly even remembered my name,” Spensor told Deadline. “But soon after, I would get called at all hours, day or night.

“This was at a time in his life when things were really difficult for Sly. I became his friend at his most down and out, most financially broke and feel incredibly grateful for Sly’s trust and participation allowing me to document the end of a tragic spiral, then the transition and the outcome of Sly winning a significant lawsuit that may have influenced The Music Modernization Act.”

“When Sly finally collected his royalties after years of being financially strapped and homeless, it warmed my heart,” he added.

There’s no official release date for the documentary but it’s scheduled to drop sometime next year.