Slim Dunlap, The Replacements Guitarist, Dies Aged 73

Bob ‘Slim’ Dunlap, the Minnesota-born guitarist who rose to fame as the final guitarist for Minneapolis punk outfit The Replacements, has died at the age of 73.

Per a report from The Minnesota Star Tribune, Dunlap passed away early in the afternoon on Wednesday (Dec. 18). His cause of death was said to be related to the stroke he suffered in 2012 that not only left him bedridden, but unable to play music anymore.

“Bob passed at home today at 12:48 p.m. surrounded by family,” a statement shared by his family read. “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. It was a natural decline over the past week. Overall it was due to complications from his stroke.”

Born in 1951, Dunlap began playing guitar at a young age and rose to local attention in the late ’70s while performing with Curtiss A (aka Curt Almsted). Almsted later formed the punk-influenced Spooks, which featured Dunlap on guitar and caught the attention of The Replacements’ Paul Westerberg.

At the time, Westerberg had been seeking a replacement for founding guitarist Bob Stinson, who was ousted in 1986. Though Dunlap initially declined Westerberg’s offer to join the band, the decision was later reversed due to his admiration for Westerberg’s songwriting.

Adopting the name ‘Slim’ to avoid confusion with Stinson, Dunlap fittingly became known as “the replacement Replacement” by many fans. He performed with The Replacements from 1987 until their dissolution in 1991, appearing on 1989’s Don’t Tell a Soul and 1990’s All Shook Down albums.

Following The Replacements’ split, Dunlap launched a solo career, releasing The Old New Me in 1993 and Times Like This in 1996, and remained active in the local scene until his musical career came to an end in 2012 following a stroke.

A number of artists, including The Replacements, Steve Earle, The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Jakob Dylan, Frank Black, and Jeff Tweedy, all contributed to the 2013 Songs for Slim compilation to raise money for his recovery.

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.