Keith Richards tells CBS Sunday Morning that it was cancer that took the life of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts last August 24th.
Keith Richards confirms that it was cancer that killed Charlie Watts last August at the age of 80. [Courtesy of CBS Sunday Morning]
“I think he’d been trying to keep it under the wraps for a while last year, so that it came as, yeah, quite a shock. He had had a round with cancer a year or two before but he beat that one. He just got hit with a double whammy. Bless his soul.”
Watts was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2004, even though he had given up smoking in the late 1980s. He was 80.
Keith also talked further about his recent writing session with Mick Jagger for the new Stones album.
Keith Richards on his recent songwriting session with Mick Jagger. [Courtesy of CBS Sunday Morning]
“It’ll be interesting to find out the dynamics now that [drummer] Steve’s [Jordan] in the band. It’s sort of metamorphosing into something else. I was working with Mick last week, and Steve, and we came up with some, eight or nine new pieces of material, which is overwhelming by our standards. It’s the muse thing. If I could find her address.”
In April of 2020, the Stones rush-released one of the new songs, “Living in a Ghost Town.” It was their first original song since “Doom and Gloom” and “One More Shot” from their 2012 compilation album GRRR!
In 2016, they went into Mark Knopfler‘s British Grove Studios in London with the goal of recording an album of original material. But while trying to familiarize themselves with the studio, they started doing a bunch of blues covers, which they decided to record. The result was 2016’s Blue & Lonesome.
Their last album of original material was 2005’s A Bigger Bang.
The Stones will announce their 60th anniversary summer European tour tomorrow (Monday), which they’ve been teasing with numerous posts on their socials, including Mick approving a new 60th anniversary tongue and lips logo.
Richards will release a 30th anniversary edition of his second album, Main Offender, on Friday.
