Charlie Watts, the drummer whose beats powered the Rolling Stones for more than half a century, becoming one of rock’s most iconic if stoic figures, has died. He was 80.

“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family. Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation.”

Watts recently dropped out of the group’s upcoming US tour to after announcing he was recovering from an unspecified medical procedure.

An original member of one of rock’s foundational bands – and the first of its founding members to die since the drowning of Brian Jones in 1969 – Watts has been with the Stones since the band’s inception. After briefly playing on London’s R&b club circuit,...