Sly Dunbar, a Grammy Award-winning drummer, who formed a mighty reggae rhythm section and production duo with bassist Robbie Shakespeare, known together as Sly and Robbie, died today (January 26, 2026). His death at age 73 was shared by his wife, Thelma, as reported by the Jamaica Gleaner, which noted that he had been ill for some time. “Yesterday was such a good day for him,” she told the paper. “He had friends come over to visit him and we all had such a good time.” Shakespeare died on Dec. 8, 2021, at age 68.

Beginning in 1975 and continuing for many decades, the pair recorded with many top artists, most notably Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh. Island Records founder, Chris Blackwell, built Castle Point Studios in the Bahamas, and organized a house band there, which featured the duo and other reggae musicians. They performed on recordings by Joe Cocker (Sheffield Steel), Grace Jones (Nightclubbing), and Mick Jagger (She’s the Boss), among many others, including their own numerous albums.

The duo likely played on more reggae records than any other Jamaica musicians. Later, Sly and Robbie performed on Dylan’s Infidels and Empire Burlesque albums. The pair earned the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1999 for Friends.

In 1983 renowned film makers the Maysles Brothers documented some of the recording sessions for the Infidels album at the Power Station in New York. This footage was never officially made public but a restored video for one of the songs, “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight,” was made available in 2021. Featured on the track are Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Mick Taylor, Dunbar, Shakespeare and Alan Clark.

Lowell Fillmore Dunbar was born on May 10, 1952, in East Kingston, Jamaica.

Paired with Shakespeare, and known simply as Sly and Robbie (and occasionally Drumbar and Basspeare), they not only formed their own label, Taxi, which produced many hit records for scores of well-known artists but also found time to do session work for just about every important name in reggae. They toured extensively as the powerhouse rhythm section for Black Uhuru and, as their fame spread outside of reggae circles, they worked with a host of rock stars. In the early 80s, they were among the first to use the burgeoning “new technology” to musical effect; they demonstrated that it could be used to its full advantage without compromising their musicianship.

Dunbar talked about his influences in a 2019 interview. “My mentor was the drummer for the Skatalites, Lloyd Knibb. And I used to listen a lot to the drummer for Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Al Jackson Jr. And there are other drummers in Jamaica, like Santa and Carly from the Wailers Band, Winston Bennett, Paul Douglas, Mikey Boo. I respect all these drummers and have learned a lot from them. From them, I listened and created my own style. They played some things I copied, other things I recreated.”

Shakespeare told the Jamaica Gleaner in 2020, “No matter how much people hail Sly and Robbie as the legends, and despite two Grammy wins and 11 nominations, we never ever feel like anything we get in life, we must get it. There have been a lot of sleepless nights and ‘eatless’ nights, too. Nuff time we go to bed hungry, so we remember these things and take stock.”

Watch Sly and Robbie perform with the house band on The Late Show With David Letterman