Reggae Icon Sly Dunbar Dies at 73

Legendary Jamaican drummer and producer Sly Dunbar has died at the age of 73, leaving behind an extraordinary musical legacy that shaped reggae, dub, pop and rock for more than five decades. Renowned for his inventive rhythms, technical precision and genre-defying collaborations, Dunbar worked with an unparalleled range of artists—from Bob Marley to The Rolling Stones—and became one of the most recorded drummers in modern music history.

The news of his death was first confirmed by his wife, Thelma Dunbar, who told the Jamaican daily The Gleaner that she found him unconscious at their home on Monday morning at around 7am. His spokesperson later formally confirmed the passing. Although the exact cause of death has not been disclosed, Thelma Dunbar said her husband had been unwell for some time, though the severity of his condition was not fully understood.

“Yesterday was a good day for him,” she said. “He spent time happily with friends and ate well. We knew he was not in perfect health, but we did not imagine it was this serious.”

Tributes quickly poured in from across the global music community. British DJ and reggae historian David Rodigan described Dunbar as “a true icon” and “one of the greatest drummers of all time”, praising his influence on generations of musicians far beyond Jamaica.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Sly Dunbar began experimenting with rhythm in childhood, fashioning makeshift drums from tin cans. In a 1997 interview, he recalled being inspired after watching Lloyd Knibb and the legendary Skatalites perform live. “That was when I knew I wanted to be a drummer,” he said. “The drummer works the hardest in the band.”

As a teenager, Dunbar met bassist Robbie Shakespeare, a partnership that would become one of the most influential rhythm sections in popular music. Together they played in the revolutionary Jamaican house band The Revolutionaries before forming the production duo Sly and Robbie. Their sound powered classics by Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru and countless others, while also crossing into international pop and rock.

In 1980, the duo founded Taxi Records, a label that helped launch and nurture a new generation of Jamaican stars including Shaggy, Beenie Man, Red Dragon and Skip Marley. Dunbar also played drums on Grace Jones’s landmark 1981 album Nightclubbing, further cementing his status as a global musical force.

Robbie Shakespeare once estimated that the pair contributed to more than 200,000 recordings. Producer Brian Eno famously remarked that “if you buy a reggae record, there is about a 90 per cent chance the drummer is Sly Dunbar”.

Key Highlights of Sly Dunbar’s Career

Sly Dunbar’s rhythmic innovations transformed reggae into a global language. His death marks the end of an era, but his influence will continue to echo through music for generations to come.