American singer-songwriter Foster Sylvers, best known as the youngest member of the R&B/ soul-funk family group The Sylvers, died in hospice care on May 30 after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64. His older brother, Leon Sylvers III, announced the death to TMZ.The Sylvers family comprised ten siblings, including Olympia Ann “Olan” Sylvers, 74, Leon Frank Sylvers III, 73, Charmaine Elaine Sylvers, 72, James Jonathan Sylvers, 70, Edmund Theodore Sylvers (died at 47), Joseph Richard “Ricky” Sylvers, 67, Angelia Marie “Angie” Sylvers, 66, Patricia Lynn “Pat” Sylvers, 65, Foster Emerson Sylvers, and Christopher Joseph Sylvers.Christopher, who was the youngest sibling, never performed with The Sylvers. In fact, he tragically died at 18.Another sibling who preceded Foster Sylvers in death was his older brother, Edmund Theodore Sylvers, who passed away in March 2014, after a ten-month battle with lung cancer.All you need to know about The Sylvers siblingsChristopher Sylvers was born to Leon Frank Sylvers Jr. and Shirley Mae Wyble in August 1966. He died so young from hepatitis in June 1985.His childhood friend Brady Hogan paid tribute on the WeRemember.com obituary site in 2022:“Chris and his family briefly lived near my home in Palos Verdes. He invited me in and I recall meeting several of his siblings and parents in the kitchen area. He was so proud of their singing and pointed out photos on the wall. We would ride bikes together. Was outgoing and friendly. Must have been late 1970’s. God bless.”In the 1960s, Olympia and Charmaine began performing Caribbean Calypso-inspired soul music as the duo Little Angels. They appeared in many variety and charity shows like Make Your Room For Daddy and other community/ public events. However, they gained prominence when all ten siblings and their parents appeared on Groucho Marx’s NBC quiz show, You Bet Your Life.At the time, the family was based in Watts, an L.A. neighborhood. Soon, James and Leon joined the group and the four signed with Capitol Records. Some of their early songs include Says You and Olympia. They also opened acts for Ray Charles and Johnny Mathis.By the late ‘60s, Edmund and Joseph also joined the group and the sextet changed recording label to MGM/ Pride and officially adopted the name The Sylvers. They released back-to-back studio albums/ LPs, The Sylvers, The Sylvers 2, and The Sylvers 3, between 1972 and 1974.Leon became the frontman, who was also the band’s lead vocalist, songwriter, and bassist. Jerry Butler and Keg Johnson also helped the group with their lyrics. In the ‘70s, they released more eponymous albums that entered the Billboard R&B charts. However, it was with the single Fool’s Paradise that they rose to nationwide fame, followed by Wish That I Could Talk to You.In a later interview with Music and Medicine, Leon reflected on the start of the siblings’ musical career:“My mother heard us and told my father, who taught us the four-part harmony. And we did. Everybody stayed on key, and that was our introduction into the industry as harmony singers because we didn’t have a lead back then.”Other hit singles from the time include I’ll Never Be Ashamed, Stay Away From Me, Through the Love in My Heart, and Cry of a Dreamer. It was Edmund who originally recorded the 1973 song Misdemeanor. However, it was later sung by Foster, despite not being an official member.The track’s huge success got the recently late Sylvers brother a permanent spot in the group. Angie and Pat were also invited to join in. Misdemeanor became so popular that later it was sampled by rapper/ producer Dr Dre for the D.O.C.’s ‘90s song, It’s Funky Enough.At the time when The Sylvers were nine-member-strong, they returned to Capitol Records and gave their career-best recordings, including Boogie Fever and Hot Line, both of which entered Billboard’s Hot 100 and R&B charts.It is noteworthy that all the siblings alternated between delivering their vocals. However, it was Leon, Edmund, and late Foster, who gained maximum prominence. Meanwhile, James was always the group’s lead keyboardist and Patricia was on additional keyboards. Edmund helped with percussion and Joseph with the guitar. Occasionally, Foster joined Leon at the bass.Between 1975 and 1979, the siblings released several albums, including Showcase, Something Special, New Horizons, Forever Yours, and Disco Fevers. In the ‘80s, several siblings left the group to pursue solo careers. However, The Sylvers continued to make music and dropped two more albums, Concept (1981) and Bizarre (1984).They officially disbanded in 1985. Subsequently, a few of them continued to be supporting acts for Janet Jackson, Dynasty, and Evelyn King. Meanwhile, Edmund released a solo album, best known for the song I Love the Streets. He also played Marlon Jackson’s voice on the ABC morning animated series The Jackson 5ive.Patricia sang a duet, Thank You, with gospel singer Larry O. Williams in 2007. The Sylvers were featured on the 2011 TV One series Unsung. Five of the siblings appeared with their mother to discuss their rise and fall. At the time, they revealed that both Ricky and Foster were imprisoned due to parole violations from previous convictions.After his release, Foster Sylvers famously appeared on The Cindy Davis Show with his elder sisters Pat and Angie. Leon, in his interview with Music and Medicine, noted that his brothers and sisters wanted to leave the group, and it was the right time to end the group, and he did. Additionally, he’d become “ready to produce.”In fact, the eldest brother joined SOLAR Records and produced songs for other groups and artists, including And the Beat Goes On for The Whispers and A Night to Remember for Shalamar.After three decades, Olympia, Leon, James, Ricky, Angie, and Pat performed as The Sylvers at The Rose Theater in Pasadena, California, in 2017.Foster Sylvers was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in February 1962. At 11, he became famous for his rendition of Misdemeanor and I’m Your Puppet, before delivering the hits Boogie Fever and Montego Bay (later sampled by Usher for his song Good Kisser). Foster formed his own group, Hy-Tech, in 1989. They unsuccessfully released a few CDs, including the 1998 MP3, Foster vs. Foster. He was found guilty of s*xual assault in 1994 and was a registered s*x offender in California.