Sly Dunbar, the legendary Jamaican drummer, has died at the age of 73. His wife, Thelma, confirmed his death to Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner.
She shared: "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," she said. An exact cause of death was not given, though Dunbar had reportedly been ill for some time.
Dunbar was just 15 when he joined his first band and recorded his initial song before going on to recieve worldwide acclaim for his work alongside bassist Robbie Shakespeare (who died in 2021). It's been estimated that, over the decades, Sly and Robbie have played on more than 200,000 recordings, including original tracks, remixes, and numerous songs that have sampled their work.
As the rhythm section (and production duo) Sly and Robbie, the pair played on reggae classics by Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, and Peter Tosh.
This latter earned them a reputation that led them to work with the likes of Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, and the Rolling Stones. Sly and Robbie also released numerous albums of their own and played a crucial role in pushing reggae forward with their adoption of electronic instruments and more syncopated rhythms.
Among those paying tribute was the British dub and reggae DJ David Rodigan, who called him a “true icon … one of the greatest drummers of all time who played on literally thousands and thousands of recordings”.
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