Bassist and reggae duo Sly & Robbie died Wednesday in Florida, where he was recently hospitalized for kidney surgery, according to BBC News.
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“I’m shocked and sad, I just got word that my friend and brother, legendary bassist Robbie Shakespeare, has died,” Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange said in a statement. She did not specify the cause of death, but mentioned that Shakespeare had been “ill for some time.” She also named him one of Jamaica’s greatest musicians.
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Robbie Shakespeare was born in 1953 in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. In the mid-1970s, he teamed up with drummer Sly Dunbar, with whom they formed the duo Sly & Robbie and became one of the most influential couples in reggae history, writes BBC News. According to her, the musician, who also won the prestigious Grammy Award, is credited with the revolution in reggae and dancehall.
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The duo has collaborated with a number of Jamaican reggae stars, such as Bob Marley or Peter Tosh. As producers, they have worked with pop music stars such as Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Cyndi Lauper and Grace Jones.
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The duly Sly & Robbie also performed in the Czech Republic – for example at the Colors of Ostrava festival in 2015 or at the Lucerna Music Bar in Prague four years earlier.
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