Sly Dunbar, the legendary Jamaican drummer who helped steer reggae ‘s modern evolution while providing the backbeat to countless recordings, has died.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning reggae drummer Sly Dunbar, who fueled countless tracks from Bob Marley to Bob Dylan and was one-half of the influential reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie, has died.

The pair were in heavy demand throughout the decades, yet their peak may have been the early 1980s, when they remained active as session musicians and as a solo act; formed their own label, Taxi Recor...