'All that comes to the forefront of my mind is that cheeky little smile': Keith Richards, 78, says he's still 'recovering' from the death of his Rolling Stones bandmate Charlie Watts

By Owen Tonks For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Keith Richards says he's still 'recovering' after the death of his beloved Rolling Stones bandmate Charlie Watts who died at the age of 80 in August last year.

Rocker Keith, 78, is constantly reminded of musician Charlie, who served as the Stones' drummer from 1963 until his death in 2021, but he says the prompts always cause him to picture Charlie's 'cheeky little smile'.

Saying he found Charlie's death a 'real blow', Keith told The Sun: 'I’m still sort of recovering. 

Mourning: Keith Richards, 78 (pictured), says he's still 'recovering' after the death of his beloved Rolling Stones bandmate Charlie Watts who died at the age of 80 in August last year

Mourning: Keith Richards, 78 (pictured), says he's still 'recovering' after the death of his beloved Rolling Stones bandmate Charlie Watts who died at the age of 80 in August last year

'Charlie keeps cropping up and all that comes to the forefront of my mind is that cheeky little smile that I loved to get out of him.

'Yeah, man, it was a real blow but at the same time, things have to move on. His replacement Steve Jordan is something else as well.'

Meanwhile, Keith commented on the perceived rivalry between him and Sir Paul McCartney, 79, after Sir Paul was quoted as calling The Rolling Stones was 'a blues covers band'.

RIP: Rocker Keith is constantly reminded of musician Charlie (pictured in 2016), who served as the Stones' drummer from 1963 until his death in 2021

RIP: Rocker Keith is constantly reminded of musician Charlie (pictured in 2016), who served as the Stones' drummer from 1963 until his death in 2021

Keith said former The Beatles star Sir Paul contacted him before his words were publicised to apologise, adding that he'd 'f***ed up'.

Earlier this week on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, he said of the incident: 'I got a note from Paul about that, saying, "I was taken totally out of context." 

'He said, "That’s what I thought when I first heard them." Paul and I know each other pretty well, and when I first read it I said, there’s been a lot of deleting and editing going on here.

All stars: Keith (second left)  described Charlie's (left) death a 'real blow' (pictured with bandmates Ronnie Wood, second right, and Sir Mick Jagger, right, in 2012)

All stars: Keith (second left)  described Charlie's (left) death a 'real blow' (pictured with bandmates Ronnie Wood, second right, and Sir Mick Jagger, right, in 2012)

'The next day I got a message from Paul saying, "If you’ve read this s**t, it’s all out of context, believe me, boys"… Paul’s a great guy, man. I mean, Jesus Christ, look at the songs he’s written.'

It comes after Sir Paul was announced as the headline act for Glastonbury this year on the first night of The Rolling Stones' Hyde Park gigs in London as part of their 60th anniversary tour.

'I didn’t know that,' Keith confessed to The Sun.

Looking back: The original Rolling Stones (L-R) Charlie Watts, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Brian Jones in London (pictured April 1964)

Looking back: The original Rolling Stones (L-R) Charlie Watts, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Brian Jones in London (pictured April 1964)

Guitarist Keith says the Stones, which also includes Sir Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood has developed a 'life of its own' over the years.

He said: 'The Stones seems to be a creature with a life of its own.

'You don’t really have much control over it. It’s just a case of, "We’re going to do this, OK. Here we go again!"

'The Stones go on. And so do I.'

Speaking out: Keith commented on the perceived rivalry between him and Sir Paul McCartney, 79, after Sir Paul was quoted as calling the Stones was 'a blues covers band' (pictured in 2018)

Speaking out: Keith commented on the perceived rivalry between him and Sir Paul McCartney, 79, after Sir Paul was quoted as calling the Stones was 'a blues covers band' (pictured in 2018)

And Keith is delighted with the way songs he wrote decades ago have remained 'fresh' thanks to years of live performances that have made the tracks slowly evolve.

He told The Sun newspaper on Thursday: 'You write the song, you record it, you take it on the road and then the thing takes on a life of its own, you know.

'That’s the fascinating thing about what I do. Songs still keep growing and changing and there’s a freshness about them still, which is encouraging at my age.'

The veteran rocker also has another band, The X-Pensive Winos, and performing with them has given him more of an appreciation for what Mick does on stage.

He said: 'When I first worked with the Winos on stage, I thought, "Wow!" Suddenly I got the message about being a frontman and a whole new appreciation of what Mick does. 

'It’s non-stop if you’re at the front, whereas with the Stones I could discreetly pull back and hang with Charlie [Watts, late drummer], then go forward when I chose.

'There’s no leeway when you’re the frontman and that took some learning. Well, there it is, I’ve said it. Hats off to Mick! I got it, Mick!' 

Born to perform: The Rolling Stones are due to take to the stage at Hyde Park in London as part of their 60th anniversary tour in June (pictured in October last year)

Born to perform: The Rolling Stones are due to take to the stage at Hyde Park in London as part of their 60th anniversary tour in June (pictured in October last year)

The Rolling StonesKeith RichardsCharlie Watts

Most watched News videos

Comments 8

Share what you think

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.