Bob “Slim” Dunlap, the guitarist for The Replacements who played on their final two albums, Don’t Tell a Soul and All Shook Down, has died at age 73.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Dunlap died Wednesday, December 18th, due to complications from a severe stroke that he initially suffered in 2012.
“Bob passed at home today at 12:48 p.m. surrounded by family. We played him his ‘Live at the Turf Club, (’Thank You Dancers!)’ CD, and he left us shortly after listening to his version of ‘Hillbilly Heaven’ — quite poignant,” his family said in a statement. “It was a natural decline over the past week. Overall it was due to complications from his stroke.”
After starting out as a janitor at Minneapolis’ iconic music venue First Avenue, Dunlap joined The Replacements in 1987, replacing original guitarist Bob Stinson, and stayed with the band until their initial breakup in 1991.
In the 1990s, Dunlap toured with Georgia Satellites frontman Dan Baird, and released a pair of solo albums, The Old New Me and Times Like This.
After Dunlap suffered his stroke in 2012, The Replacements’ Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson reunited for Songs for Slim, a benefit EP with proceeds going to their former guitarist.