Music world mourns Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, dead at 80
- Drummer Charlie Watts died age 80 after pulling out the band’s upcoming US tour for health reasons
- The death of Watts brought tributes from musicians ranging from Paul McCartney to Sir Elton John
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have shared poignant tributes to Charlie Watts following The Rolling Stones drummer’s death aged 80.
The trio had been bandmates since 1963, working together on era-defining tracks including (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It Black, Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Brown Sugar.
Watts, who died “peacefully” at a London hospital on Monday surrounded by his family, was considered the most mild mannered of The Rolling Stones, providing an essential counterbalance to his more exuberant bandmates.
Jagger paid tribute to his colleague of almost 60 years on social media, sharing a picture of Watts smiling while seated behind a drum kit.
The Rolling Stones frontman, 78, did not add a caption.
In his tribute, Richards, 77, posted a picture of Watts’s drum kit with a “closed” sign hung on it.