Source: Radio New Zealand
Jamaican drummer Sly Dunbar, one half of a legendary duo who played with reggae and rock giants from Lee “Scratch” Perry to Mick Jagger, has died at his home aged 73, Jamaica’s authorities announced.
Nicknamed “Sly and Robbie”, the rhythm section Dunbar formed with bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who died in 2021, backed some of reggae’s biggest names, including Black Uhuru, Wailers co-founder Peter Tosh and Gregory Isaacs.
Their talent also brought them into the orbit of singers such as Grace Jones and Madonna, as well as folk icon Bob Dylan, French crooner Serge Gainsbourg, and the Rolling Stones with whom they toured in the late 1970s.
As producers, the pair birthed some of the dance hall anthems of the 1990s, including the famous “Murder She Wrote” by Chaka Demus and Pliers.
“Sly was an architect of sound. Alongside Robbie Shakespeare, he established a foundation that defined the era of Reggae and Dancehall,” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness wrote on Instagram.
“Farewell, Sly Dunbar! Rest in peace!” wrote Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards on Facebook, posting a 1979 photo of himself standing beside the drummer.
Dunbar’s wife, Thelma, told Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner that she found Dunbar unresponsive on Monday morning, with doctors later pronouncing him dead.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
