The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died in hospital in August 2021 at the age of 80.
The drummer joined the Stones in 1963, and played on rock ‘n’ roll classics like (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Get Off My Cloud and Sympathy for the Devil.
Charlie Watts is being featured as part of the BBC’s My Life as a Rolling Stone documentary,featuring in archival interviews and testimony from friends and family. The episode focusing on Charlie will air in late July.
Here’s all you need to know about the death of Charlie Watts.
When did Charlie Watts die?
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died on Tuesday 24 August 2021.
The drummer had pulled out of the band’s upcoming US tour for health reasons three weeks prior.
In a statement from a Watts’ family spokesperson said: “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.”
How old was Charlie Watts when he died?
Charlie Watts was 80-years-old when he died on Tuesday 24 August 2021.
What was his cause of death?
Charlie Watts’ cause of death was never publically announced.
He had pulled out of the Rolling Stones 2021 summer tour of the US for health reasons three weeks prior, with reports at the time citing a heart procedure.
In 2004 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, undergoing a course of radiotherapy at the time and the cancer went into remission.
When did Charlie Watts join the Rolling Stones?
Singer Mick Jagger (left) and drummer Charlie Watts of rock group the Rolling Stones at Heathrow Airport in London, UK, April 1967 (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Charlie Watts joined the Rolling Stones in January 1963.
He joined Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones, helping the band become one of the biggest rock groups of the 1960s.
Speaking about joining the band Watts said: “It was another band to join, I was in about three of them. We’d rehearse a lot. They – Brian and Keith – never went to work, so we played records all day, in that rather bohemian life. Mick was at university. But he paid the rent.”
Who has been drumming in the Rolling Stones since his death?
After Charlie Watts stood down from the US 2021 tour prior to his death, Steve Jordan stepped in as a temporary replacement.
Since Charlie’s death, Steve Jordan has become the band’s regular touring drummer.
In Keith Richard’s 2010 autobiography he recounted that in the 1980s, Charlie Watts had told him that if he ever wanted to work with another drummer then “Steve Jordan’s your man.”
Steve Jordan will also be behind the kit for the recording of the Rolling Stones upcoming album, Billboard reports.
What was Charlie Watts’ net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Charlie Watts had amassed an impressive $250 million.
As well as playing on 23 studio albums with the Rolling Stones and achieving over 25 Top 10 Hits, Watts also had an Arabian horse stud farm.
What has Mick Jagger said about Charlie Watts death?
The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger posted a picture of Charlie Watts smiling behind the drum kit on to his Twitter and Instagram.
Guitarist Richards also took to social media to share a picture of a set of drums with a “closed” sign on them.
Days before Watts passed away, Jagger posted a poignant Instagram post welcoming him back into the group. He said: “We really look forward to welcoming Charlie back as soon as he is fully recovered.
“Thank you to our friend Steve Jordan for stepping in, so we can still play all the shows for you this fall,” Mick added.
Who was Charlie Watts’ wife and daughter?
Charlie Watts was married to Shirley Ann Shepherd.
The couple married in 1964, and remained married for 57 years. They only had one daughter, Seraphina Watts, who was born on 18 March, 1968.
Seraphina had one daughter with her husband, Charlotte. Charlotte has gone on to become a model, working with brands such as Topshop, Christopher Kane and Rag & Bone.
