The drummer defined an era of reggae music as a player and producer, and worked with Grace Jones, Peter Tosh, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and countless others
By Max Pilley 26th January 2026
Sly Dunbar at Kensington Park Square apartment, London, UK on 9 July 1984. CREDIT: Getty Images
Sly Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer known as one half of the iconic production duo Sly & Robbie – has died at the age of 73.
The news was confirmed earlier today (January 26) by his wife Thelma, who told Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner: “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.”
A cause of death has not been provided, but he had reportedly been ill for some time.
Dunbar developed a distinctive drumming style that drew on traditional Jamaican rhythms as well as rock, funk and soul, and it came to define a generation of reggae music.
He and bassist Robbie Shakespeare joined forces in 1972 and their rhythm section is estimated to have played on more than 200,000 recordings. They were enlisted by many of their elite contemporaries, including Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Black Uhuru and that success later saw them work with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Grace Jones.
Lowell Fillmore ‘Sly’ Dunbar was born in Kingston on May 10, 1952 and he began playing music at the age of 15. One of his earliest recordings was the classic single ‘Double Barrel’ by Dave and Ansell Collins, which became a Number One single in the UK.
He bonded with Shakespeare over their shared love of Motown, Philly soul and Stax Records sounds, as well as Jamaican labels Studio One and Treasure Isle. They became the house band for Tosh, playing on five of his albums, and became highly in demand.
They became identified with the ‘rub a dub’ sound in the early ‘80s and embraced computer-assisted production, with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell making them the core of the Compass Point All Stars, who produced classic albums by Grace Jones, Gwen Guthrie and Joe Cocker.
They were the core rhythm section on Dylan’s ‘Infidels’ in 1983, and contributed to the Stones’ 1986 album ‘Dirty Work’. Other collaborations included Bootsy Collins, Jackson Browne, Joan Armatrading, Dennis Brown, Gary Barlow, Ian Dury, Yoko Ono, Sinead O’Connor and Simply Red.
They began to record their own albums as Sly & Robbie, often continuing to experiment with electronic sounds, and scored a hit in 1987 with ‘Boops (Here To Go)’. Over time, they incorporated global pop styles into their work, including Latin and dancehall.
Check out a range of tributes to Dunbar here:
Sly DunbarMay 10, 1952 — January 26, 2026Rest in Power 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/6mw2GV3kER
— The Wailers (@TheWailers) January 26, 2026
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
#SlyDunbar Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of a true icon
One of the greatest drummer of all time A producer of countless hits whose works defined the sound which the world knows as Reggae and Dancehall
A true gentleman of class & mentor to so many of us
It was an… pic.twitter.com/OgljfqjHqu
— Junior Rodigan (@JuniorRodigan) January 26, 2026
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
Dunbar received 13 Grammy nominations across his career, winning two – for Black Uhuru’s ‘Anthem’ in 1985 and for the 1999 Sly & Robbie album ‘Friends’.
Shakespeare passed away in 2021 at the age of 68 following kidney surgery.
