It appears that the Rolling Stones' original drummer, Charlie Watts, will be sitting out the band's U.S. tour this fall.
Watts, who has been with the band since its formation in 1962, underwent an unspecified medical procedure and although it was successful, the musician will likely need "proper rest and recuperation," a spokesperson for the band said in a statement to Variety.
"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," the spokesperson added.
The 13-date "No Filter" tour is set to kick off in St. Louis on Sept. 26 and will feature veteran drummer Steve Jordan in Watts' place.
"For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted the advice of the experts that this will take a while," Watts said. "After all the fans’ suffering caused by COVID, I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this Tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in for me."
Watts has played in around 95% of the band's catalog and has been in good health for most of those six decades. He battled, and overcame, substance abuse in the 1980s, and also conquered throat cancer, which he was diagnosed with back in 2004. At the time, the Rolling Stones were in the process of writing a new album, but in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Watts explained that his mind was on his recovery.
"Mick [Jagger] rang a few times: 'You have to get well. Don’t worry about us,'" he recalled. "I was sorry not to be there when Mick and Keith [Richards] were writing. In a way, it was fortuitous, because they were on their own. It was a lot of fun for them, to be together."
The band was also preparing to go on the road, and although Watts was well enough to join them, he admitted Jagger and Richards would replace him if he wanted to.
"There’s no reason why they shouldn’t, if people turn up to see them," he said. "There’s guys in our road crew who can do what I do. They see me play every night. It’s like Buddy Rich — his roadie used to do all the rehearsals with the band. The greatest thing, I suppose, is the combination of the four of us. The Stones is that."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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