"Misdemeanor" Made Him a Star: Foster Sylvers, Beloved Child Voice of the 1970s, Dies at 64

Millions first heard Foster Sylvers through a song that arrived long before he was old enough to drive. The youthful voice behind "Misdemeanor," one of the standout records of the 1970s, has died at age 64 following a battle with metastatic prostate cancer.

His death was confirmed by family members, according to EURweb, which reported that Sylvers had been battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer that later spread to other parts of his body.

Radio stations and television programs helped turn Sylvers into a household name during his teenage years. While many young performers struggled to maintain attention beyond a single hit, he carved out a place in soul music with a voice that immediately stood apart from many of his peers.

Behind that success stood one of music's most recognizable family acts. As a member of The Sylvers, he performed alongside siblings whose blend of soul, funk and disco helped shape the sound of an era and earned a devoted following across the country.

The record that introduced many listeners to Foster remains one of the defining pieces of his catalog. "Misdemeanor" became a major R&B success and helped establish him as a young performer capable of carrying a record on his own before joining the broader rise of The Sylvers.

Years later, those recordings found renewed life through sampling and rediscovery. Producers, DJs and artists continued pulling pieces of his work into new projects, extending the reach of songs first recorded decades earlier.

News of his passing prompted messages from entertainers and longtime admirers. Among them was Holly Robinson Peete, who remembered Sylvers as her first celebrity crush, a sentiment echoed by those who grew up watching and listening to him during his rise.

Listeners still picture Foster Sylvers as the smiling teenager whose records poured from car speakers, living room stereos and jukeboxes. Even now, the opening notes of "Misdemeanor" are enough to transport people back to a very specific moment in Black music history.