Keith Richards says Charlie Watts’ death made him consider end of The Rolling Stones for the first time
"I never doubted it. I never even thought about it"
The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards says the death of drummer Charlie Watts made him think about the end of the band for the first time.
The legendary band‘s drummer passed away at the age of 80 in August, with the band dedicating the opening date of their current ‘No Filter’ US tour to their drummer, their first performance without Charlie since January 1963.
In a new interview with Mojo, Richards says that he has never thought about the band ending in their 60 years together, but that Watts’ death made him contemplate the fact.
“Charlie Watts was my bed,” the guitarist said. “I could lay on there and know that not only would I have a good sleep, but I’d wake up and it’d still be rocking.
“It was something I’ve had since I was 19,” he added of being in the Stones. “I never doubted it. I never even thought about it. Only now am I thinking about it [the end of the band].”
In the same interview, Mick Jagger said he believes that the band’s current tour dates won’t be their last, and that they are looking into the idea of touring in 2022.
He said: “If things are good next year and everyone’s feeling good about touring, I’m sure we’ll do shows.”
Elsewhere, Richards and Jagger recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of their first meeting. The two rock legends initially met at Dartford train station on 17 October 1961. They went on to form the band the following year.
The anniversary coincided with a Rolling Stones gig at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
After the show finished, the band shared an image on social media of Jagger and Richards on a guitar plectrum embossed with the words “17 October 1961-2021 – 60 years on the same train.”
A blue plaque was previously unveiled at the station in 2015 to celebrate the moment the two met. Famously, the pair recognised each other as they went to the same primary school.