Los Angeles [US], December 19 : Bob 'Slim' Dunlap, who played guitar for The Replacements, has died at the age of 73.
Slim Dunlap breathed his last on Wednesday. The cause of death, according to a statement from his family, was "complications from his stroke," which befell him in early 2012, causing severe health complications over the last nearly 13 years, Variety reported.
Dunlap joined the Replacements after founding member Bob Stinson was removed from the band, adding a more stabilizing presence to the group while keeping the musical rowdiness high. He was officially billed as Slim at frontman Paul Westerberg's request, to avoid any confusion with the Bob he was replacing.
Born in 1951 as the son of a Minnesota state senator, Dunlap grew up idolizing Chuck Berry, James Burton, Buddy Holly, Scotty Moore and Chet Atkins, by his own recollection. In 1976, he joined the band Thumbs Up, which evolved into Spooks, the group he was playing in when Westerberg first came across him. He was described as reluctant to take the gig with the replacements when it was offered to him, due to the touring demands and having three children at home, but his wife and Westerberg were both persuasive in talking him into accepting the job, as per Variety.
Dunlap's final release, Thank You, Dancers!, was released in 2020 and featured recordings from a 2002 live performance at St. Paul's Turf Club.