Foster Sylvers Passed Away!

Foster Sylvers passed away from terminal prostate cancer.

Throwback to American R&B.

Foster Sylvers, a member of the Sylvers, a group of Memphis R&B stars. He had an infamous legacy. He died of prostate cancer at the age of 64.

Leon Sylvers III told TMZ that his brother died in hospice care following a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Further details are expected to be released by their sister, Pat Sylvers.

According to TMZ, The Sylvers rose to prominence in the 1970s with a string of hits, including "Fool's Paradise," "Boogie Fever," and "Hot Line." The family R&B group went through several lineup changes during its years in the spotlight. The photo above features siblings James, Foster, Edmund, Ricky, and Angie Sylvers.

In addition to his work with The Sylvers, Foster was an accomplished bassist who lent his talents to artists such as Dynasty and Evelyn "Champagne" King. He also pursued a solo career, releasing music of his own.

Foster was preceded in death by two of his brothers. Edmund Sylvers died of lung cancer in 2004, while the family's youngest sibling, Christopher Sylvers, died in 1985 at just 18 years old.

Foster Emerson Sylvers was born in Memphis, Tennessee on February 25, 1962.

He released his first album, Foster Sylvers, in June 1973. His first single, "Misdemeanor", written by his brother Leon Sylvers III, became a hit that summer, reaching number 7 on the Billboard R&B chart. "Misdemeanor"'s follow-up was a cover of Dee Clark's 1959 hit "Hey Little Girl", and charted at number 63 R&B in fall 1973. The popularity of these records led Foster to appear on such TV shows as American Bandstand and Soul Train.

At one time, he was a heartthrob to young girls.

In 1974 he released his second album, Foster Sylvers Featuring Pat & Angie Sylvers. By 1975 he joined his brothers and sisters in The Sylvers just in time for the Showcase album. He sang co-lead with his brother Edmund on the number one 1976 Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles song "Boogie Fever". While with Capitol, Foster released another self-titled album called Foster Sylvers in early 1978, primarily produced by his family The Sylvers and their managers Al Ross and Bob Cullen. Foster then branched out into studio work just like his big brother Leon collaborating on many projects such as with Dynasty ("Your Piece of the Rock", "When You Feel Like Giving Love", "Satisfied") and Evelyn "Champagne" King ("Shake Down", number 12 R&B, spring 1984). By the late 1980s, Foster recorded two albums as Foster Sylvers & Hy-Tech: 1987's Plain & Simple for EMI America and 1990's Prime Time for A&M.

In 1994, he was convicted of a sex offense and incarcerated. His charge: Oral copulation - victim unconscious of the nature of the act. He remained on the list of sex offenders on the State of California Department of Justice Sex Offenders Profile.