US EditionSly Dunbar, legendary reggae drummer who anchored tracks from Bob Marley to Bob Dylan, dies as 73
Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar, part of the prolific duo Sly & Robbie, won two Grammys and influenced reggae and dancehall rhythms on over 200,000 recordings, his wife confirmed.
- On January 26, 2026, Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar died at his home in Kingston, Jamaica, his wife Thelma Dunbar said she found him unresponsive and a doctor confirmed his death.
- No official cause has been given, and family and Jamaican media outlets said Dunbar had been ill for some time but seemed in good spirits yesterday.
- He earned 13 Grammy nominations and won two Grammys, and as one half of Sly & Robbie, he and Robbie Shakespeare played on more than 200,000 recordings with major collaborators including Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Marley.
- Fans and fellow musicians, including Ali Campbell and Ronnie Wood, posted condolences on social media, while his family expressed deep sadness and gratitude for support during this difficult time.
- His influence stretches across reggae, dub and dancehall, as Dunbar helped pioneer these genres, with the Bam Bam riddim and 'Revolution' reused widely, earning Jamaica's Order of Distinction and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
131 Articles
131 Articles
Sly Dunbar, one half of the groundbreaking ‘Riddim Twins’ of Jamaican music, dies at 73
‘[O]ne of the greatest drummers ever’Originally published on Global Voices‘Sly’ Dunbar, reggae drummer, on tour with Peter Tosh at Top Rank in Cardiff, Wales, on June 20, 1979. Photo by Tim Duncan via Wikimedia Commons, used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license. 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…
A major figure in the world reggae, Sly Dunbar died at 73 years of age, leaving behind him a colossal musical legacy! Along with bass player Robbie Shakespeare, the Jamaican drummer has shaped one of the most influential rhythmic sections of history, collaborating, in particular, with the greatest names in music.
'Rest in Beats': Remembering iconic reggae drummer Sly Dunbar
Legendary Jamaican drummer and producer Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar has joined the army of fallen reggae soldiers – pioneering heavyweights of reggae like Bunny Wailer, Lee “Scratch” Perry, U-Roy and Jimmy Cliff who passed away in recent years. The prolific reggae musician who rose to fame as one half of the rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie, died at his home in St Andrew, Jamaica, on Monday morning at the age of 73. Reggae pioneer…
Known for forming with bassist Robbie Shakespeare a mythical duo who shaped the reggae sound, Sly Dunbar died at the age of 73.
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