Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died. This was announced by a spokesperson for the musician, as reported by the social profiles of the English band. Watts was 80 years old, he died in a London hospital, surrounded by his family.
No fans and excesses for him, but still his wife Shirley. “Charlie was a good husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of the Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation,” stressed his press officer, Bernard Doherty, who made the sad announcement.
Loading…
Throat cancer
Earlier this month, the Stones announced that Watts would not be taking part in the US tour, which kicks off on September 26, to undergo medical treatment. Since 2004 he was being treated for throat cancer. With him goes a piece of music history. The one made in “60 years of band”.
Polite, reclusive and elegant, Watts was with Keith Moon, Ginger Baker and a handful of others, a prominent rock drummer. Loved and respected internationally for his playing style, he helped bring the band from adventurous beginnings to the level of international superstars.
Passion for jazz
Born in 1941 at University College Hospital in London and raised in Kingsbury, Watts was a “working class musician”. His first passion was for jazz, for John Coltrane and Miles Davis who he listened to since he was a kid. At the age of 13, his parents gave him the first battery. And the rest is history.