Charlie Watts, the drummer for the Rolling Stones, died today in London. He was 80.
A statement from the band and Watts’ spokesperson reads: “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 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.”
On August 4, Watts dropped out of the Rolling Stones’ pandemic-delayed US tour, which included a concert in New Orleans, to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure. At the time a spokesperson said, “Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but I gather his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation. 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.”
On July 22, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announced that the Rolling Stones would headline a first-ever Wednesday date for the festival, scheduled for October 13. Seventeen days later, on August 8, the festival was canceled due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in metro New Orleans due to the highly infectious Delta variant.
The Rolling Stones last appeared in New Orleans on July 15, 2019, at the Superdome as part of the band’s No Filter Tour.
John Swenson’s OffBeat essay “Why New Orleans Matters to the Rolling Stones” reflects on Charlie Watts. “The year was 1979. The place was the Venue, a well-appointed nightclub near London’s Victoria Station. The packed house cheered as the lanky figure of Charlie Watts stood up behind his drum kit. With a towel draped around his wet shoulders, he grinned ‘This is the best band I’ve ever played with.'”
A Wikipedia biography states that Watts “originally trained as a graphic artist. He started playing drums in London’s rhythm and blues clubs, where he met Brain Jones, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards. In January 1963, he joined their fledgling group, the Rolling Stones, as drummer, while doubling as designer of their record sleeves and tour stages. Watts was the only Rolling Stones member other than Jagger or Richards to have been featured on all of their studio albums. He cited jazz as a major influence on his drumming style. He toured with his own group, the Charlie Watts Quintet, and appeared in London at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club with the Charlie Watts Tentet.”
An obituary posted by the BBC states, “[Watts] came from a working-class background. His father was a lorry driver and Watts was brought up in a pre-fabricated house to which the family had moved after German bombs destroyed hundreds of houses in the area.
“A childhood friend once described how Watts had an early interest in jazz and recalled listening to 78s in Charlie’s bedroom by artists such as Jelly Roll Morton and Charlie Parker.”
Watts once said, “It’s supposed to be sex and drugs and rock and roll. I’m not really like that. I’ve never really seen the Rolling Stones as anything.”
