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Robbie Shakespeare of Sly & Robbie dies aged 68

by on at 15:26pm.
Last edited: 09.12.2021 at 16:44pm.

One half Sly & Robbie was famed for prolific reggae output and work on Grace Jones’ acclaimed ‘Nightclubbing’ album

Bassist Robbie Shakespeare (pictured, left), one part of the pioneering instrumental reggae duo Sly & Robbie, has died at the age of 68.

While the exact cause of death is unknown, it is known that Shakespeare had recently undergone an operation on his kidneys, and was struggling with his kidney-related health. He was living in Florida at the time of his death.

The Jamaican bassist was one part of Sly & Robbie, the acclaimed reggae record production duo behind many seminal reggae songs and albums. Together, they were often nicknamed the “Riddim Twins.”

While growing up in East Kingston, Jamaica, Shakespare became a protege of bass player Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who turned him on to playing bass. Later, after embarking on a solo career, he met his longtime collaboration partner Sly Dunbar while both artists were playing as part of The Revolutionaries, the in-house band for Channel One Studios, the recording studio in which the pair made most of their productions.

After breaking through together in 1976 with The Mighty Diamonds’ debut album ‘Right Time’, Shakespeare became recognised for a distinctive push-and-pull style bass playing, of a higher calibre than most reggae performers. Later, he went on to study with Aston Barrett of the Wailers, and began the music production company and record label, Taxi Records. 

Later into the 1990s, Shakespeare stopped playing bass as the pair transitioned into a more dancehall-oriented style, and won a Grammy Award for their 1999 album of original music, Friends. They later went on to produce music for artists including Madonna, Grace Jones, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Serge Gainsbourg, Sting, Sinead O’Connor, Tricky and Carlos Santana. Sly & Robbie remain among  the most recognised and well-collected reggae producers in history; there are over 2,700 production credits to his name.

Many famous individuals, including Simply Red, UB40, Sting, Ghostpoet and Trevor Jackson, have paid tribute to Shakespeare on Twitter.