Foster Sylvers, who performed bass and co-lead vocals on the 1976 No. 1 hit “Boogie Fever” with his family group The Sylvers, died on May 30, 2026, his brother Leon Sylvers III confirmed. Sylvers had been battling prostate cancer. He was 64.
The death marks the third sibling lost from the family band. Edmund Sylvers, who sang co-lead vocals alongside Foster on “Boogie Fever,” died of lung cancer in 2004. Christopher Sylvers, the youngest sibling, died in 1985 at age 18. A group photograph that has circulated widely since the news broke shows James, Foster, Edmund, Ricky and Angie — two of the five now gone.
A Solo Career That Started at 11
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Sylvers released his self-titled debut album in 1973 at age 11. The album featured “Misdemeanor,” written by Leon Sylvers III, which climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He became an immediate star on American Bandstand and Soul Train. A second album followed in 1974 before he joined his siblings in the family group.
Joining The Sylvers at Their Peak
Foster Sylvers joined The Sylvers in 1975, arriving just as the group reached its commercial peak with the album “Showcase.” The family act had originally formed under the name The Little Angels, featuring siblings Olympia, Leon, Charmaine and James, and had been gaining momentum for years.
“Boogie Fever” topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Soul Singles chart in 1976. Foster played bass and shared co-lead vocals with his brother Edmund on the family’s signature hit.
The group released a string of hits including “Fool’s Paradise” and “Hot Line,” along with albums titled “The Sylvers,” “The Sylvers 2” and “The Sylvers 3,” becoming one of the defining groups of the disco era. The group disbanded in 1985.
Session Work and Later Projects
Following the group’s breakup, Sylvers continued working as a multi-instrumentalist and accomplished bassist based in Los Angeles, California. He lent his talents to Dynasty and Evelyn “Champagne” King, earning a reputation as a respected session musician while also pursuing solo work.
He co-wrote and performed on “Shake Down,” which became an R&B hit in 1984. In the late 1980s, he formed the band Hy-Tech and released music as Foster Sylvers and Hy-Tech through EMI America and A&M Records, maintaining work as a songwriter, producer and studio collaborator long after the group’s heyday ended.
A 1994 Conviction
In 1994, Foster Sylvers was convicted of a sex offense for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. He served a prison sentence and was required to register as a sex offender in California, remaining on the registry for the rest of his life.
The conviction became a permanent part of his public record, sitting uneasily alongside his chart triumphs. His family has never tried to erase that duality, which resurfaced in coverage of his death.
Tributes From Family and Friends
His daughter, Erin Sylvers, paid tribute on social media with a photograph of her father, saying, “Rest well, Daddy. I love you so much.”
Kevin H. Donan, a Hollywood record store owner who had known Foster for nearly five decades, recalled meeting him as a teenager. Donan said he met Foster Sylvers at the Sylvers family Bel-Air home when he first arrived in 1978 from Flint, Michigan, and recalled early demo sessions with members of the family before the group’s records reached commercial release.
Donan said his thoughts and prayers were with the Sylvers family. Musician Lawrence “LAW” Worrell shared his own remembrance, saying he had watched Foster fight the cancer in their final visits but preferred to remember the years of working together.