Slim Dunlap, guitarist and singer-songwriter for the band The Reemplazos, died Wednesday at age 73.
A statement from his family announced that the Minnesota-raised musician died due to “complications from his stroke,” which he suffered in 2012.
The medical emergency sent Slim, whose real name is Bob, down a 13-year path of health complications and recovery.
He replaced founding Replacements member Bob Stinson when he was fired from the collective and was widely praised for revitalizing the band.
It was singer Paul Westerberg’s idea to officially introduce the new member as Slim, to avoid confusion with the group’s original Bob.
Dunlap toured the 1987 album Pleased to Meet Me, which was his last with Stinson on guitar.
Slim Dunlap, guitarist and singer-songwriter for the band The Reemplazos, died Wednesday at age 73; photographed in 1990
He replaced founding Replacements member Bob Stinson when he was fired from the collective and was widely praised for revitalizing the band; Pictured, from left, Tommy Stinson, Paul Westerberg, Chris Mars and Slim Dunlap (front) in 1989.
He then appeared in Replacements’ final two projects: 1989’s Don’t Tell and 1991’s All Shook Down.
Minneapolis Star Tribune posted a message from the guitarist’s family on Wednesday, which read: ‘Bob passed away at home today at 12:48pm surrounded by his family.
We played him his CD ‘Live at the Turf Club (‘Thank You Dancers!)’, and he left us shortly after listening to his rather moving version of ‘Hillbilly Heaven’.
‘It was a natural drop over the past week. “Overall, it was due to complications from his stroke.”
Dunlap released his first solo album, The Old New Me, in 1993.
Times Like These followed in 1996 and caught the attention of Bruce Springsteen, who in 2014 praised NPR“Look at both of Slim Dunlap’s records, because they’re just beautiful rock ‘n’ roll records.” “I found them deeply moving and emotional.”
Slim was born in 1951, the son of a Minnesota state senator. In 1976 he became a member of the band Thumbs Up, later called Spooks.
When Westerberg found out, he was hesitant to join the Replacements as a husband and father of three.
A statement from his family announced that the Minnesota-raised musician died from “complications from his stroke,” which he suffered in 2012.
He replaced founding member of Replacements, Bob Stinson, when he was fired from the collective and was widely praised for revitalizing the band; photographed in 1990
His wife Chrissie, with Westerberg’s help, convinced him to take the job.
“I felt an obligation to bring home a steady paycheck, and (joining the Replacements) was a way to finally do that while playing music,” Chrissie said in a 2015 interview, according to the Star Tribune.
She also shared that her husband’s new role was an adjustment for their teenage daughter Emily, who was also a musician and a fan of her father’s new band.
She really liked the Replacements. “So for her, to have her father suddenly play in the band, it would be like my father joining the Rolling Stones,” the mother of three explained.
Dunlap had previously driven a taxi and been a janitor at the First Avenue nightclub, where his wife was a talent recruiter.