Jamaica to say goodbye to Sly Dunbar this weekend

The final send off for legendary reggae drummer Sly Dunbar is set for this weekend, with a series of events to allow fans and members of the music fraternity to pay their respects.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, announced that a funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 7, at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity on George Headley Drive in Kingston. The service is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am.

Ahead of the funeral, there will be a public viewing of Sly's body on Friday, March 6, at the National Indoor Sports Centre between 11 am and 4 pm.

Music lovers will also get a chance to salute the iconic drummer during a motorcade on Friday morning. The procession will begin at 9:15 a.m., at Channel One Studio on Maxfield Avenue and will make scheduled stops at One Pop Music Studio on Red Hills Road, Mixing Lab Studio on Dumbarton Avenue, and Anchor Studio on Windsor Avenue.

Minister Grange said the activities will give Jamaicans the opportunity to honour Dunbar, whom she described as "one of the best drummers the world has ever seen."

Sly Dunbar, one half of the legendary Sly and Robbie duo, who died on January 26, helped shape the sound of reggae and dancehall for decades, earning international acclaim for his work behind the drums.

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