Sly Dunbar, one half of the groundbreaking ‘Riddim Twins’ of Jamaican music, dies at 73

Lowell “Sly” Dunbar, an extraordinarily innovative drummer and music producer and one of the renowned “Riddim Twins” of reggae, died at home on the morning of January 26, at age 73. His cause of death was not disclosed, but he had been ailing for some time. Still, his passing was unexpected — especially coming just one week after the death of another reggae icon, Stephen “Cat” Coore.

Dunbar’s lifelong partner, Thelma, was distraught and shared that Dunbar had enjoyed a relaxing Sunday: “Yesterday was such a good day for him. He had friends come over to visit him and we all had such a good time. He ate well yesterday…sometimes he’s not into food. I knew he was sick…but I didn’t know that he was this sick.”

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness paid tribute to Dunbar and his remarkable legacy alongside bass player Robbie Shakespeare, who died in December, 2021. The two were known simply as “Sly and Robbie” or the Riddim Twins:

I am deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary Lowell “Sly” Dunbar. Jamaica, and the entire world, has lost a titan of music.

Sly was an architect of sound. Alongside Robbie Shakespeare, he established a foundation that defined the era of Reggae and Dancehall. From the… pic.twitter.com/iMVtlghsvQ

— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) January 26, 2026

Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange shared on X:

Grange: Sly Dunbar passing a great loss

Minister Grange said Dunbar was “one of the greatest drummers ever.” pic.twitter.com/xJhFaxnSK5

— Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange (@Babsy_grange) January 26, 2026

Nekeisha Burchell, culture spokesperson for Jamaica’s opposition party, observed, “Sly Dunbar was rhythm, innovation, and excellence in motion. He represented the very best of Jamaican creativity — bold, original, and uncompromising in its quality. His contribution to our music industry helped position Jamaica as a cultural superpower long before the term became fashionable.”

Lowell Fillmore “Sly” Dunbar was born on May 10, 1952, in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston. He began playing at age 15 in a band called The Yardbrooms. By 18, he did his first recording on drums with the vocal duo Dave and Ansel Collins, on their hit record “Double Barrel.” He then joined a band called Skin, Flesh and Bones with Ansel Collins and bass player Lloyd Parks, and went on to play drums with The Revolutionaries, the house band at the well-known Channel One Studios, with Robbie Shakespeare (whom he met in 1972) and a host of other talented musicians.

During this period, dub music — experimental, using various electronic techniques and innovative effects — was all the rage, but Dunbar began to develop his own “rockers” style, featuring a more aggressive rhythm than “roots reggae,” similar to rock music. The Revolutionaries also performed as a backing band for several major reggae artists of the 1970s, including Gregory Isaacs and The Mighty Diamonds.

Sly and Robbie first officially teamed up in Word, Sound and Power, the backing band for former Wailer Peter Tosh, in 1975. The following year, the band toured with Tosh in the United States and from 1978 to 1979 in Europe, having also played at Bob Marley’s 1978 One Love Peace Concert in Kingston. However, the duo left the band in 1981 to tour with Black Uhuru, who were signed with Island Records. In this very successful band, Sly and Robbie were — as always — enormously influential, complementing each other with a sharp, driving drum sound and heavy bass line.

The pair were always seeking new horizons and fresh musical collaborations. In 1980, they formed their own record label, Taxi Records, ensuring their own creative and financial control. Under this banner, they produced and performed on a string of hits for Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru, Ini Kamoze, and more.

Over the years, Sly and Robbie performed with an astonishing variety of musicians, including collaborations with Bob Dylan (on two of his albums), their countrywoman Grace Jones (on three of her albums), and the Rolling Stones. They were hugely in demand as a rhythm section across almost every genre, always exploring new musical spheres. In this way, they helped pioneer technological innovations in reggae music, helping it progress towards dancehall and new sounds. Their productions for the punk band No Doubt, for example, resulted in more hit records.

According to one musical website, “Sly and Robbie may well be the most prolific recording artists ever. One estimate is that they have played on or produced some 200,000 songs, considering that some of their riddims such as ‘Revolution’ have been used on over 100 songs.”

One fan attempted to list some of the duo’s collaborations:

In case you didn’t know:
•Black Uhuru
•Grace Jones
•Bob Dylan
•Serge Gainsbourg
•Serge Gainsbourg
•Herbie Hancock
•Jimmy Cliff
•Peter Tosh
•Bob Marley & The Wailers
•Ini Kamoze
•The Rolling Stones

To name a few

— Scott Levenson (@levenson_scott) January 26, 2026

Dunbar’s nickname was said to have been inspired by the 1970s funk and soul musician Sly Stone, whose music he enjoyed. He listed some of his musical influences in a 2008 interview: “My mentor was the drummer for The Skatalites, Lloyd Knibb. And I used to listen a lot to the drummer for Booker T. & the M.G.s, Al Jackson Jr., and a lot of Philadelphia. And there are other drummers in Jamaica, like Santa and Carly from The Wailers Band, Winston Bennett, Paul Douglas, Mikey Boo. I respect all these drummers and have learnt a lot from them. From them, I listened and created my own style. They played some things I copied, other things I recreated.”

Music journalist Hopewell Chin’ono paid tribute on X:

You will remember that last week I did a post about the most influential reggae rhythm section musicians. I talked about Carlton Barrett, who played drums for Bob Marley, and his brother, Aston Barrett, who played bass. I also talked about Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare of Sly… pic.twitter.com/hhIhTEb3aF

— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) January 26, 2026

He went on to post footage from a memorable concert with Black Uhuru:

This is a special concert that took place in Germany in 1981. Black Uhuru were backed by Sly Dunbar, who died today, on drums, and Robbie Shakespeare on bass. The Black Uhuru members on this night were Michael Rose, Puma Jones, and Duckie Simpson.

Sly plays the drums like a… pic.twitter.com/eXEsdOjdQt

— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) January 26, 2026

Another fan posted footage from a concert with Irish singer Sinead O’Connor:

Sinead O’Connor live with Sly & Robbie in October 2005. Broadcast on Irish TV. Length: 49:50 #RIPSlyDunbar https://t.co/Dc6JQHAxB1

— Sean Walters (@sean_write) January 26, 2026

British reggae band UB40 — in particular, singer Ali Campbell — was devastated by the news:

Words cannot describe how heartbroken I am to hear of the passing of my friend and legend, Sly Dunbar 😢 pic.twitter.com/tCQvPbxyo3

— ALI CAMPBELL (@UB40) January 26, 2026

Jamaican broadcast journalist Cliff Hughes commented, “Time marches on […] We have lost another great musician”:

Iconic dummer Sly Dunbar has died. Our condolences to his family, friends and fans.#NNN pic.twitter.com/tEBqFe4Qbb

— Nationwide90FM (@NationwideRadio) January 26, 2026

Meanwhile, Jamaican cultural commentator Sonjah Stanley shared on X:

Rest in perfect peace #SlyDunbar. You join #RobbieShakespeare and all the musical greats to make even more timeless music. Your journey has been amazingly productive doing what you love. Walk good! 🕊️🕊️#Jamaica

— Culture Professor (@SonjahStanley) January 26, 2026

On X, BlackHistoryStudies posted a classic photograph of the duo:

Jamaican reggae duo Sly and Robbie, circa 1981. They are drummer Lowell Dunbar (aka Sly) and bassist Robert Shakespeare. (Photo by David Montgomery/Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/ghZmP4fBtr

— BlackHistoryStudies (@BlkHistStudies) January 26, 2026

Yet another fan mused:

Sly & Robbie.
For me were true architects of Reggae’s child: Dancehall and its creative instrumental dub sounds.
Sly on the drums, Robbie on the Bass Guitar.
R.I.P. Sly Dunbar. You’ve reunited with your music friend in heaven Robbie Shakespeare.💐 pic.twitter.com/WMj29JJ9vV

— 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓢𝓸𝓬𝓪 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓭𝔂®🍬|Queen Majesty👸🏿 (@MissSocaCandy) January 26, 2026

Throughout his life, Dunbar received numerous honours. Along with Shakespeare, he was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Distinction; in 2015, he also received the Musgrave Gold Medal from the Institute of Jamaica. In 2025, he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota. Dunbar received an impressive 13 Grammy nominations and won two — for Black Uhuru’s “Anthem” in 1985, and for Sly & Robbie’s “Friends” in 1999.

In summing up Dunbar’s unique contribution to music — to at least three reggae genres, and more — one fan noted:

The absolute best. It’s unprecedented what he did over the course of his career, to have left such a massive mark on three distinct styles — roots, dub and dancehall. Decade after decade, he just kept innovating, the well never dried up. https://t.co/Xd1zue4gUM

— Evan Rytlewski (@Evanryt) January 26, 2026