Reggae legend Robbie Shakespeare has died.
His death at the age of 68 was confirmed to The Jamaica Gleaner today.
The publication reports he had been living abroad after having surgery on his kidneys at a Florida hospital.
The musician was once named the 17th greatest bassists of all time in a list compiled by Rolling Stone magazine.
After the sad news of his death, Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Minister of Entertainment and Culture, told the Jamaica Observer: "Robbie's loss will be severely felt by the industry at home and abroad. My condolences to those he leaves behind."
Robbie was best known as one of the 'Riddim Twins' in Jamaican rhythm duo Sly & Robbie, which he starred in with drummer Sly Dunbar.
The pair teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separately on the Jamaican music scene.
Sly was drumming for Skin Flesh and Bones, while Robbie was playing bass and guitar with the Aggrovators when they discovered they had similar ideas about music.
They were both big fans of Motown and country music and drew on many different influences.
Sly once said: "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 a lot of Philadelphia.
"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 learnt a lot from them. From them, I listened and created my own style. They played some things I copied, other things I recreated."
They had a prolific career throughout the 1980s, working with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Grace Jones and Joe Cocker.
Sly & Robbie's sound was credited for keeping mainstream interest in Jamaican music after the death of famed musician Bob Marley in 1981.
