His solo work included his 1979 self-titled debut, 1981's Syl Sylvain and the Teardrops and 1998's Sleep Baby Doll.
Released an EP in 2010 as a member of the Batusi.
Was a member of the band Actress featuring Arthur Kane, Johnny Thunders and Billy Murcia before co-founding New York Dolls in 1971 with David Johansen joining the group.
He was born in Cairo, to an Egyptian Jewish family that moved to France and then New York, U.S., in the 1950s.
After the breakup of the New York Dolls Sylvain worked on various solo projects, teamed with other artists and launched the Criminals with Bobby Blain, Michael Page and Tony Machine.