Foster Sylvers, the R&B singer and former child star known for his early solo success and his role in the family group the Sylvers, has died at age 64. According to his brother Leon Sylvers III, he died from pancreatic cancer while in hospice care.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 25, 1962, Sylvers began his music career at age 11. He released his self-titled debut album in 1973, which included the hit single “Misdemeanor” and also featured “I’m Your Puppet,” helping establish him as a young talent in R&B. His early success came during a period when child performers were increasingly finding space in mainstream soul and pop music.
Sylvers later gained wider recognition as a bassist and vocalist in the Sylvers, a family group made up of several of his siblings. The band became especially well known in the 1970s, when it scored major success with the album Showdown in 1975. That record included “Boogie Fever,” one of the group’s biggest and most recognizable hits and a defining song of the era.
As the Sylvers’ commercial momentum faded in the 1980s, Foster Sylvers continued working in music through collaborations and solo efforts. He partnered with other artists including Dynasty and Evelyn “Champagne” King, and pursued projects outside the family group as the music industry shifted around him.
His later life was also marked by serious legal trouble. In 1994, Sylvers was convicted of a sex offense involving the sexual assault of an unconscious woman. Following that conviction, he was required to register as a sex offender in California.
Sylvers’ death closes the life of a singer whose career began in childhood and whose voice and bass playing were tied to one of the best-known family acts of the 1970s. For many listeners, his name remains linked to the bright, upbeat sound of the Sylvers and the success of “Boogie Fever,” even as his personal life later drew public scrutiny.
The family has announced his death as a breaking story and said updates may follow.
