Status: 08/24/2021 7:32 p.m.
The drummer of the legendary rock band Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts, is dead. He died with his family in London. Unlike his colleagues, he avoided the limelight, but welded the band together for decades.
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died at the age of 80. This was announced by his spokesman Bernard Doherty. He “died peacefully in a London hospital”. His family was with him. “Charlie was a valued husband, father and grandfather, and one of the greatest drummers of his generation as a member of the Rolling Stones,” said Doherty.
Operation in August
It was already clear at the beginning of August that the Rollings Stones would have to do without their drummer for their USA tour. The 80-year-old had medical treatment behind him, which is why it was “unlikely” that he would be available for these concerts, a spokesman said at the time.
The spokesman emphasized that the medical treatment was “completely successful”. Watts now needs “adequate rest and recovery”. The spokesman did not provide any information on the type of treatment. According to the BBC, Watts had already been treated for throat cancer in 2004.
Part of the band since 1963
Born on June 2, 1941 in north London, the musician discovered his love for jazz and blues at an early age. He made his first drum kit from an old banjo – it was the beginning of a decade-long career with various jazz formations and the Rolling Stones.
Watts joined them six months after the band’s first appearance at the legendary London Marquee Club on July 12, 1962. The decision paid off, musically and financially. Half a century later, he told the British Telegraph that the Stones had the luck and the money to be able to spend a lot of time in the studio – and so they could have tried out a lot.
Withdrawal was not an option
The drummer was considered one of the best-dressed rock stars. But unlike singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, he avoided the limelight. As a jazz musician, he appreciated musical collaborations and welded the Stones together – not only when he set the rhythm on the stage, but especially when Jagger and Richards fell out over the years.
Since 1964 Watts was married to the artist Shirley Watts, with whom he had a grown daughter. They lived on a stud farm in the county of Devon and professionally bred Arabian horses. But the rocker life did not let go of him. At the age of 75, he confessed to the Times newspaper that he tried to withdraw after every tour. Richards asked him what he would do then. “I don’t know, mowing the lawn? So I’m not retiring.”