Reggae legend and Sly & Robbie member Sly Dunbar has died aged 73

Kingston-born Sly Dunbar, reggae legend and one half of the Jamaican rhythm section duo Sly & Robbie, has died aged 73.

The news was shared with DancehallMag earlier this week by producer and friend of Dunbar, Rory Baker, who called his passing a “major blow”. While his cause of death was not confirmed, the outlet reports that Dunbar suffered long-running health issues from a slipped disc.

Dunbar’s wife Thelma told Jamaican publication The Gleaner that she had found him unresponsive on Monday morning (January 26), he was pronounced dead on the same day.

Sly Dunbar was one of the most prolific drummers in the reggae scene, famously working alongside late bassist Robbie Shakespeare as part of the production duo Sly & Robbie.

Together, the pair helped to propel the pioneering sounds of reggae, dancehall, and dub through the 1970s, recording several albums together and working on productions for the likes of Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, and Paul McCartney.

In his solo career, Dunbar also performed drums on tracks for artists like Bob Marley and The Rolling Stones, and was nominated for 13 GRAMMY Awards during his five-decade-long career.

Dunbar received two GRAMMYs – the first in 1985 for the Best Reggae Recording, given for his efforts on the Black Uhuru album ‘Anthem’, and the second in 1999 for Best Reggae Album, given for his and Robbie’s record ‘Friends’.

Speaking to DancehallMag, close friend of Dunbar and producer Albert ‘Burru’ Blackwood called the late drummer “a great mentor and friend” who was “one of the finest and best persons one could meet in music and life”.

Read some more tributes below.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on X