Earlier this week we reported that Sly Stone is currently living in a white van in the middle of Los Angeles—homeless and, it would seem, financially destitute. But now questions have arisen concerning the source of this widely reported story, that otherwise spotless beacon of journalistic integrity, the New York Post. A "source close to Stone" alleges that the funk legend is living in the van by choice; Stone is still in rough shape, money-wise, but the source says that he is still able to rent a four-bedroom home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He just doesn't want to stay there; turns out the dude prefers vans, and he "is going to look at a couple of new vans this week."
Stone's attorney, Robert Alan, has also confirmed that the writer of the Post piece, Willem Alkema, paid Stone $5,000 to do the interview; another $2,000 was paid once the paper took the story, though it's not clear where that money came from exactly. Alkema is a Dutch filmmaker who directed the Sly Stone documentary Coming Back For More, and this story appears to have been an attempt to generate publicity for the movie. Somehow, this news does not make this story any less depressing. [Via Showbiz411.com]