Shirley Watts has died of a short illness just over a year after the death of her husband, iconic Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. She was 84.
Shirley's family, including daughter Seraphina and granddaughter Charlotte, announced her death on Monday in a statement shared with Variety.
"It is with great sadness that Seraphina, Charlotte and Barry announce the death of their much-loved mother, grandmother and mother-in-law Shirley Watts. Shirley died peacefully on Friday December 16 in Devon after a short illness surrounded by her family," the statement read. "She will be also sadly missed by her sisters Jackie and Jill, and her brother Stephen. Reunited now forever with her beloved Charlie."
Shirley and Charlie were married from 1964 until the rocker's death in August 2021 at age 80. Charlie is said to have one regret of life in the limelight, and that was not spending time with his wife of nearly 60 years.
"The one regret I have of this life is that I was never home enough,” Watts once, according to Vulture. “But she always says when I come off tour that I am a nightmare and tells me to go back out."
Writing in "According to the Rolling Stones," Charlie previously revealed that Shirley was an even bigger fan of his band than he ever was.
"My wife and daughter may come out on tour, but Shirley's always had other things outside of this band," he wrote, according to the New York Post. "She's a great fan of the Stones, though. I'm not; it's what I do. Mick and Keith and Ronnie are my friends and the band is a very good one, but that's it. But Shirley actually plays our records. I don't."
Shirley was remembered in a tribute shared by Charlie's longtime bandmate Ronnie Wood, who wrote in a tweet that he and his wife Sally were "very sad to hear about the death of our friend Shirley Watts."
"We will miss you so much, but take comfort that you are reunited with your beloved Charlie," Woods added. "Our thoughts & prayers are with their daughter Seraphina, granddaughter Charlotte, & son-in-law Barry."
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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