Lowell “Sly” Dunbar, the legendary Jamaican drummer and half of the iconic production duo Sly and Robbie, died on the morning of January 29, 2026, his wife Thelma confirmed.
She found him unresponsive around 7 a.m. after what had been a good day with visiting friends. Dunbar had been ill for some time, though his wife hadn’t realised the severity of his condition.
He began drumming at age 15 with The Yardbrooms and met bassist Robbie Shakespeare in 1972, forming a partnership that would define reggae music for decades. Together they worked with Peter Tosh, produced countless hits, and founded Taxi Records in 1980, which released music from artists including Black Uhuru, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus, and Pliers.
Shakespeare died in Miami in 2021. Dunbar’s death comes just days after Third World co-founder Stephen “Cat” Coore passed away at 69. The Jamaican government honoured Dunbar with the Order of Distinction, and he received the Musgrave Gold Medal in 2015 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota in May 2025. (Caribbean Today)
