Sly Dunbar, Sly and Robbie reggae drummer, dead at 73

Lowell “Sly” Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer for the former reggae group Sly & Robbie, has died. He was 73.

Dunbar’s wife, Thelma, confirmed the news to Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner on Monday.

“About seven o’clock this morning I went to wake him up and he wasn’t responding, I called the doctor and that was the news,” Thelma said, though she didn’t confirm the cause of death.

“Yesterday was such a good day for him,” Thelma continued. “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.”

Dunbar’s daughter, Natasha, told TMZ the musician passed away at his home in Kingston, Jamaica. Like Thelma, Natasha also did not disclose the cause of death.

“As one half of Sly & Robbie, Sly helped shape the sound of reggae and Jamaican music for generations. His extraordinary talent, innovation, and lasting contributions will never be forgotten,” read a statement from the family, per TMZ. “Sly’s music, spirit, and legacy touched people around the world, and we are deeply grateful for the love and support during this difficult time.”

Dunbar began his music career at age 15 when he was in a band called The Yardbrooms. 

In 1972, he met bass guitarist Robbie Shakespeare and they formed the rhythm section and production group Sly and Robbie which shot them into stardom.

The duo played on reggae hits by Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, and Peter Tosh. They had their breakthrough on The Mighty Diamonds’ 1976 album “Right Time.”

Sly and Robbie also recorded and produced with Madonna, Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones, Yoko Ono, Jackson Browne, Sinead O’Connor, Carly Simon and No Doubt.

They created their own Taxi Records label and released multiple albums of their own, as well, including 1985’s “Language Barrier,” 1987’s “Rhythm Killers” and 2006’s “Rhythm Doubles,” which was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

In total, the pair were nominated for 13 Grammys and won twice, for Best Reggae Album for “Friends” in 1998 and Best Reggae Recording for Black Uhuru’s album “Anthem” in 1984.

Sly and Robbie remained an active group until Shakespeare’s death in 2021 at age 68.

Dunbar spoke about admiring his music partner the year before Shakespeare died.

“It was the whole body of the bass, the sound and the way it flowed against the drummer,” Dunbar told Rolling Stone in 2020. “At a certain part of a tune he’d play like three different lines, change the line on the bridge and the verses after that, and get four different lines.”

In the later years of his career, Dunbar co-wrote the hit 2014 Omni song “Cheerleader.”

He also appeared in the 2021 “Reggae Got Soul: The Story of Toots and the Maytals” where he was recognized for his influence on reggae music.