The remaining members of The Rolling Stones – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood – have all paid tribute to their late bandmate, drummer Charlie Watts.
The trio has been in the habit of paying tributes to their late friends lately, and now they’re taking the time to honor Watts on what would have been his 82nd birthday. Watts, who had been The Rolling Stones’ drummer since 1962, died in August 2021.
Watts passed away while the Stones were on their No Filter Tour. Watts’ illness forced him to take a backseat from touring; Watts’ last tour with the band was in 2016.
A longtime friend of the band, Steve Jordan, sat behind the kit on tour. Jordan is also the drummer for Keith Richards’s solo project, The X-Pensive Winos.
Watts Passed Away Shortly After Undergoing A ‘Successful Medical Procedure’
Watts’ spokesperson made the announcement of the “successful medical procedure” he had undergone before the beginning of the “No Filter” tour.
“Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful,” the announcement began (via The Blast, per Page Six). “But, I gather his doctors concluded that he needs proper rest and recovery this week. With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks, it’s very disappointing, to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”
The spokesperson for The Rolling Stones announced Watts’ death after his passing on August 24th.
“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital surrounded by his family,” the statement began. “Charlie was a cherished husband, father, and grandfather and a member of the Rolling Stones, one of his generation’s greatest drummers. We kindly request that his family, band members, and close friends’ privacy is respected now.”
His wife, Shirley, passed away in December of the following year. The couple had been married since 1964.
The Rolling Stones Commemorated Watts’ First Post-Humous Birthday Last Year
The remaining Stones members also commemorated the bandmate and brother’s birthday on June 2nd of, 2022. The band followed suit today on their respective Instagram accounts.
Wood shared photos of the pair through the years, including a black and white snapshot of the duo celebrating a joint birthday.
The former Faces guitarist wrote, “Remembering dear @thisischarliewatts on his birthday ❤️Thinking of you, my friend ❤️🙏”
Richards, 79, posted two vintage photos of the duo and gave credit to the original photographers. The “Connection” singer wrote, “For my much-missed friend, Charlie Watts!”
Jagger rounded out the tributes. The Rolling Stones’ frontman posted a black and white photo from the band’s Still Life tour circa 1981.
View this post on Instagram
Jagger, 79, wrote, “Happy birthday, dearest Charlie. Love Mick” as the photo’s caption.
Richards had spoken about Watts’ sense of humor in an interview with Rolling Stone after his beloved friend’s passing. He described Watts as having “…an incredible sense of humor. And my joy was I loved to crack him up. If you could hit that spot, he wouldn’t stop, and it was the funniest thing in the world. He had an incredible sense of humor that he kept to himself unless you sparked it. And then it could be painful to laugh,” the “Take It So Hard” singer recalled. (per The Blast)
