Charlie Watts: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood post tributes
The legendary Rolling Stones drummer has died aged 80
Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood have all paid tribute to their friend and Rolling Stones band mate Charlie Watts, who died yesterday (24th August) aged 80.
In keeping with the old adage that 'a picture is worth a thousand words', Keith Richards shared a powerful image of Charlie Watts’ empty Gretsch drum kit with a ‘Closed’ sign hanging from the mic stand.
Mick Jagger also didn’t comment and posted a lone photo of a laughing Charlie Watts behind his drum kit.
This morning, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood shared a photo of himself with a typically dapper Charlie Watts, and wrote: “I love you my fellow Gemini ~ I will dearly miss you ~ you are the best.”
The Rolling Stones announced Charlie Watts’ death yesterday in a statement issued via their publicist Bernard Doherty. A cause of death hasn’t been revealed.
It read: “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.
“We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members and close friends is respected at this difficult time.”
Testament to Charlie Watts’ legendary status as one of the greatest and most influential drummers of all time, his passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the music world.
Among countless artists who have paid tribute include The Beatles’ Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, Def Leppard, The Who, The Kinks’ Dave Davies, Elton John, Geezer Butler, David Coverdale, Paul Stanley and Motörhead.
Earlier today, AC/DC joined the tributes, simply writing: “Our world just lost its much loved and respected beat.”
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said: "So sorry to hear the very sad news of Charlie Watts passing. He was such a nice guy and a major influence in the music business - he’ll be sadly missed. My deepest condolences to his family and to Mick, Ronnie, Keith and all his friends and fans. R.I.P."
Bill Ward also paid homage to his fellow drummer, writing: "Charlie was brilliant, sustaining and always on, a solid fixture in a band that often seemed it was falling off the edge of the world.
“We've all been with him a long time now, he was always solid, we can learn much. A great rock and roll drummer and beloved jazz drummer making outstanding jazz recordings. He will always be vital to fellow musicians, especially for fellow drummers.”
German hard rockers Scorpions said: “Another very sad Day in the World of Music …. Just learned about the passing of Charlie Watts the legendary Drummer of the Rolling Stones … our deep Condolences go out to Charlie‘s Family and his bandmates …. RIP Charlie.”
Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose tweeted: “Very sorry to hear of the passing of The RollingStones Drummer Charlie Watts. My deepest condolences to his family, the band and the fans.”
Nickelback said: “Saddened to hear about Charlie Watts. For those of us that love music, we’ve lost one of the true pioneers of rock-n-roll. A consummate performer and an even better human. There’s so much to say about Charlie, but for now we will listen to the gift he gave us all - his music.”
Queen's Brian May wrote on Instagram: "For some people this might be a cliché - but in Charlie’s case it’s the absolute truth - he was the nicest gent you could ever meet. And such a pillar of strength for the Rolling Stones - to whom he brought a touch of Jazz and a mountain of pure Class."
Charlie Watts joined The Rolling Stones in January 1963 and remained a constant member of the band over the next 58 years and appeared on all 23 of their studio albums and every concert tour.
Charlie is survived by his wife Shirley, daughter Seraphina and granddaughter Charlotte.
Take a look at The Rolling Stones' incredible career:
1962: Where it all began
The first stable line-up of The Rolling Stones consisted of singer Mick Jagger, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, drummer Charlie Watts, and bassist Bill Wyman. In 1962, the band carried out their first UK tour, which helped them gain new fans and learn their craft.
1963: A record deal
Having completed their first tour and signing Andrew Loog Oldham as their manager, the Rolling Stones signed a record deal with Decca Records. The label, who had previously turned down The Beatles, gave the Rolling Stones a deal that, for the time, was unheard of. It consisted of the band getting three times an new act's typical royalty rate, full artistic control of recordings and ownership of the recording master tapes.
1963: Their first single
In the same year, the band released their debut single, a cover version of Chuck Berry's 'Come On.' It landed at Number 21 in the UK charts. They then released their second single 'I Wanna Be Your Man', which peaked at Number 12. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
1964: A debut album
In 1964, the Rolling Stones released their debut, self-titled album, which charted at Number 1 in the UK and Number 11 in the US. The album included the Number 3 single, 'Not Fade Away.'
1965: Number 1 UK single and international success
Following the success of their first album, the Rolling Stones were quick to release another in 1965. The LP, titled 'The Rolling Stones No. 2', debuted at Number 1 in the UK and Number 5 in the US. The single 'The Last Time' from the album reached Number 1 in the UK - their first ever UK chart-topper.
The band also released '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' in 1965, which went to Number 1 in the UK and spent four weeks at the top of the US charts. 'Get Off of My Cloud' was released the same year, which went to Number 1 in both the UK and US.
1968: Back to basics
Following a turbulent three years, involving a newspaper sting on the band for their alleged illegal drug use, the band released 'Beggars Banquet', a mix of country and blues-inspired songs. The music was similar to their first work. The album reached Number 3 in the UK and Number 5 in the US and included the hit singles 'Street Fighting Man' and 'Sympathy for the Devil.'
1969: Brian Jones' death
After leaving the band in 1969 due to his drug addiction, Brian Jones admitted to his band members he was "unable to go on the road again." A month later, Brian Jones drowned in his swimming pool at his house in Hartfield, East Sussex.
Guitarist Mick Taylor replaced Brian Jones.
1975: Ronnie Wood joins the band
In 1974, Mick Taylor left the band and in 1975, Ronnie Wood replaced him, joining the band just before they toured America.
1976: Number 1 in the US
After the success of their 1974 album 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll', which went Number 1 in the US, the band released 'Black and Blue' in 1976. The album was straight to the top of the charts in the US and peaked at Number 2 in the UK.
1981: Setting world records
With another Number 1 album under their belt, the Rolling Stones signed a new four-album recording deal with a new label, CBS Records, for a reported $50 million. At the time, this was the biggest record deal in history.
1986: A potential split
In 1986, rifts in the band were rife, predominantly between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Mick Jagger undertook a solo career, releasing several albums, while in 1988, Keith Richards did the same, after it the Rolling Stones stopped recording music.
1994: A comeback
Reuniting after the internal conflict, the Rolling Stones released their 20th studio album 'Voodoo Lounge', which reached Number 1 in the UK and Number 2 in the US. Voodoo Lounge won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album at the 1995 Grammy Awards. The band then went on to carry out a year long tour to support the album called 'Voodoo Lounge Tour', which grossed $320 million, becoming the world's highest-grossing tour at the time.
2002: 40th anniversary
In 2002, the Rolling Stones released 'Forty Licks', a greatest hits double album, marking forty years as a band. It reached Number 2 in the UK and US thanks to their legion of fans and to put the cherry on top of the cake, Q magazine named the Rolling Stones one of the 50 Bands To See Before You Die.
2005: Breaking records
Following various successful tours, in 2005, the 'Bigger Bang' tour set a record of $162 million, breaking the North American mark set by the band in 1994. On 18 February 2006 the band played a free concert to over one million people at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro—one of the largest rock concerts of all time.
2019 - 2020: 'No Filter Tour'
For a massive 14 years, the group toured the world non-stop, raking in the cash and performing to their devoted fans. In that time, they only released one studio album. In 2019, the band toured with 'No Filter Tour' in both the UK and US. In 2020, part of the tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021: Tour after sad death of Charlie Watts
Sadly, on 24th August 2021, the devastating news was announced that drummer Charlie Watts had sadly died. The Rolling Stones are set to continue the 'No Filter Tour' without their late friend, and bandmate of almost 60 years.
The tour was originally scheduled for 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. The band began the rescheduled dates of the 'No Filter Tour' on 26th September 2021 - the first performances since losing Charlie.
2022: The Rolling Stones announce new tour dates
The Rolling Stones announced three epic shows in summer 2022 as part of their 'SIXTY' tour, celebrating their 60th anniversary. The 'Paint it Black' band performed two dates in London and a third in Liverpool.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood gave a show packed full of their classics such as 'Satisfaction', 'Paint It Black', 'Tumbling Dice', 'Sympathy for the Devil' and 'Gimme Shelter', along with some surprises from their half a century of greatest hits.
2022: Mick Jagger creates theme song for Slow Horses
Mick Jagger took on an exciting solo project, when he co-wrote and recorded the track 'Strange Game' for the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses.
Described as being a 'Poignant, moodily strutting theme tune', the song was co-written by Academy Award-nominated film composer Daniel Pemberton, and is due to be released when the series premiered on 1st April.
2022: The Rolling Stones 'SIXTY' shows
The Rolling Stones put on three incredible shows in the UK as part of their 'SIXTY' tour. They played at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium on 9th June and performed at London's BTS Hyde Park on 25th June and 3rd July.
2022 - 2023: The Rolling Stones announce 'GRRR Live' album and concert
In December, The Rolling Stones announced an album called 'GRRR Live', recorded on their '50 & Counting Tour' in 2012.
They followed this up with the announcement of an immersive virtual tour, with one of the shows from their 2012 tour being streamed worldwide, with fans able to interact. It includes performances from Mick Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Lady Gaga.
The virtual concert experience took place on 2nd February 2023, with the album being released on 10th February.
2023: The Rolling Stones announce 'Hackney Diamonds'
The Rolling Stones announce their first album with original music in 18 years, called 'Hackney Diamonds'. They also released the first song from their album called 'Angry'.
Read more:
The Rolling Stones through the years: How the band became rock icons