- - Sly Dunbar, Reggae Pioneer of Sly and Robbie Fame, Dies at 73

Rachel DeSantisJanuary 27, 2026 at 4:39 AM

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Sly Dunbar in London in 1984.

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Reggae drummer Sly Dunbar has died at age 73

His wife Thelma said she found him unresponsive at home on Jan. 26

He rose to fame as one half of the duo Sly and Robbie

Sly Dunbar, the legendary drummer who helped shape the sound of reggae music as one half of the duo Sly and Robbie, has died. He was 73.

Dunbar’s wife Thelma told The Gleaner newspaper that she’d found him unresponsive at home on Monday, Jan. 26. The musician had been ill, and was being treated at home and abroad, she said.

“Yesterday was such a good day for him. He had friends come over to visit him and we all had such a good time,” she said. “I knew he was sick… but I didn’t know that he was this sick.”

In a statement shared with TMZ, Dunbar’s family wrote that his “extraordinary talent, innovation and lasting contributions will never be forgotten.”

“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,” the statement read.

Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar in an undated photo.

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A two-time Grammy Award winner and 13-time nominee, Dunbar and his Sly and Robbie bandmate Robbie Shakespeare (who died in 2021) played on an estimated 200,000 recordings alongside everyone from Mick Jagger and Bob Marley to Bob Dylan and No Doubt, according to Rolling Stone.

The pair first made their mark as a backing band for the Jamaican reggae group The Revolutionaries, then broke off as a duo. Together, they toured with the Rolling Stones in 1978, and launched their own music label, Taxi Records. They recorded several albums together, most recently Dubrising in 2014.

“It was like magic, I always say,” Dunbar said in 2008 of meeting bassist Shakespeare. “We became producers because the radio was paying all these recordings for the producers and they were hitting. I looked down and said to Robbie, ‘What’s the future for us? We’re not owning ourselves on tape, producers are.’ So Robbie said, ‘I think we should try to own our own material, but we’re not going to stop doing sessions. We’ll play every day.’ So, we started doing songs.”

Dunbar — who was born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston, Jamaica — played on Jagger’s solo album She’s the Boss, Dylan’s records Infidels and Empire Burlesque, and produced “Underneath It All” and “Hey Baby” for No Doubt. He also co-wrote and played on Omi’s 2012 song “Cheerleader,” which became a hit several years later after it was remixed.

Sly Dunbar in London in June 2005.

Richard Ecclestone/Redferns/Getty

He said in 2008 that his mentor was Skatalites drummer Lloyd Knibbs, and that he also grew up a fan of Al Jackson, drummer for Booker T. & the MG’s, Wintston Grennan, Paul Douglas and more.

“I respect all these drummers and have learned a lot from them. From them, I listened and created my own style,” he said. “They played some things I . Other things I recreated.”

Ali Campbell, lead singer and co-founder of the British reggae band UB40, paid tribute to Dunbar on Facebook, writing that “modern day beats simply wouldn’t be what they are without the influence of reggae and dancehall riddims that Sly singlehandedly pioneered.”

Andrew Holness, the prime minister of Jamaica, also remembered Dunbar for his musical contributions.

“He was a pioneer. He integrated electronic instruments into traditional reggae beats, keeping our music modern and relevant for decades,” Holness wrote in a Facebook post. “Despite his immense international success and his Order of Distinction, he remained a humble son of the soil, always ready to mentor the next generation.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”