“Den of Debauchery” site in Bel-Air, once home to Sly Stone, finds buyer

The 1.4-acre property at 783 North Bel Air Road went into contract asking $24 million.

Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart, famed musician, songwriter and producer, in front of 783 N Bel Air Rd, Los Angeles (Getty Images, Zillow/Illustration by Steven Dilakian for The Real Deal)
Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart, famed musician, songwriter and producer, in front of 783 N Bel Air Rd, Los Angeles (Getty Images, Zillow/Illustration by Steven Dilakian for The Real Deal)

A Bel-Air vineyard that was once home to funk musician Sly Stone has found a buyer.

The 1.4-acre property, at 783 North Bel Air Road, went into contract with an asking price of $24 million, according to a listing on Zillow. It was previously the site of a Tudor-style mansion that was owned by the Mamas & Papas’ John Phillips. More recently, it was owned by late billionaire A. Jerrold Perrenchio, who converted it to a vineyard for his Chartwell estate.

The property came packaged with architectural plans from South African firm SAOTA, according to the listing. The plans call for a 21,000-square-foot estate with views of Bel-Air to the Pacific Ocean. The planned three-story mansion would also have a tennis court, zero-edge pool, a rooftop lounge and a gym.

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(Source: Zillow)

Stone lived on the property, once described by The Guardian as a “den of debauchery,” in the 1970s. He rented the mansion from Phillips, who bought the property from actress Jeanette MacDonald. During his stay, Stone hosted recording sessions that ushered in one of his band’s most successful periods. It was there that Sly and the Family Stone recorded parts of their fifth record, “There’s a Riot Goin On.” The album produced the hit “Family Affair,” which reached the top of the US charts.

Perrenchio bought the property in 2007 from Bren Simon, widow of former Indiana Pacers co-owner Melvin Simon, property records show. It’s across the street from the entrance to the Chartwell estate. Chartwell was sold in 2019 to Lachlan Murdoch, the son of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. The $150 million deal was a California record at the time.

The seller of the North Bel Air Road property is Delaware entity Nimes Road, LLC. The LLC bought the vineyard for $12 million in 2019.