At 81, Mick Jagger FINALLY Confirms The Rumors About Charlie Watts

On August 24th, 2021, the music world was rocked by the news of Charlie Watts, the veteran drummer of the Rolling Stones, passing away in London at the age of 80.

His departure left a significant void not only in the band but also in the hearts of millions of fans around the world.

For years afterward, questions surrounding his actual health condition, the reason behind his withdrawal from the final tour, and the internal relationship with Mick Jagger continued to attract attention.

Now, at the age of 81, Mick Jagger has officially made a statement confirming part of those rumors, something he had always avoided in the past.

What has been revealed took the public by surprise.

Before exploring the entire story behind it, let’s take a look back at Charlie’s life to truly understand who he was.

Charlie Watts: A Life in Music

Charles Robert Watts was born on June 2nd, 1941, in Kingsbury, Northwest London.

Coming from a working-class family, he grew up without access to professional music training, but he quickly developed a deep affection for jazz.

The influences of Charlie Parker and swing musicians of that era shaped his entire drumming style later on.

Beyond his passion for music, Charlie also studied graphic design at Harrow Art School, a skill he later applied in designing album covers and stage sets for the Rolling Stones.

Before officially joining the band, Charlie performed at many rhythm and blues clubs in London.

It was there that he met Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones, the future founders of the Rolling Stones.

Although invited to join from the beginning, he declined due to financial concerns.

It wasn’t until January 1963 that Charlie Watts accepted the offer to become the band’s official drummer.

His first performance as an official member took place at the Eling Jazz Club on February 2nd, 1963.

Unlike many prominent rock drummers of his time, Charlie did not showcase his techniques with loudness or theatrical displays.

Instead, he focused on maintaining a steady, precise rhythm that supported the band’s overall musical structure.

This approach not only reflected his jazz background but also helped define the unique sound of the Rolling Stones.

Mick Jagger once called him the “Wembley Whammer,” a nickname that expressed strength and endurance in performance.

Even though he rarely sought the spotlight on stage, Charlie was one of the few members of the Rolling Stones to appear on every studio album from 1963 to 2016.

He also never missed a single performance with the band during those 58 years.

That was one of the key reasons why he was considered the cornerstone that helped maintain the band’s stability through decades of change.

From hits like Satisfaction and Paint It Black to Start Me Up, Charlie’s drumming was not just the rhythmic foundation but also played a role in leading the entire structure of each song.

In addition to being the drummer, Charlie also took on many other roles that few people knew about.

He was the one who proposed the lotus-shaped stage design for the tour of the Americas in 1975.

The press event launching the tour, which featured the band performing on a flatbed truck driving through Manhattan, was also Charlie’s idea, inspired by New Orleans street jazz bands.

He also designed the album cover for Between the Buttons, 1967, and contributed to the visual direction of many other projects.

Charlie’s professional working style, punctuality, and high discipline were also credited as key elements in keeping the band functioning smoothly over the long term.

While other members experienced significant ups and downs in their personal lives and careers, Charlie rarely let his private struggles become public.

His calm and discreet nature helped him maintain the respect of not only his bandmates but also professionals in the industry.

Charlie Watts was not the band’s main spokesperson and rarely appeared in media interviews.

Nevertheless, other members, especially Jagger and Richards, repeatedly emphasized that his presence was irreplaceable.

Such remarks were not just symbolic.

They reflected his actual importance to the band’s artistic and technical operations.

He played a core role in maintaining musical quality, ensuring internal stability, and contributing to the strategic direction of performances.

From a jazz-loving young man in London to an indispensable member of one of the greatest rock bands in history, Charlie Watts left a profound mark without needing to bask in the limelight.

The Tensions with Mick Jagger

However, it is that very silence that became the foundation for stories many years later, including the unspoken tensions with Mick Jagger.

Throughout more than half a century of the Rolling Stones’ career, Charlie Watts was regarded as the quietest member of the band while also being one of the most respected.

That said, he was not immune to internal conflicts.

One of the most well-known incidents involving him took place in the mid-1980s during a tour stop in Amsterdam.

This event became more than just an often-repeated anecdote.

It reflected the clear boundaries Charlie maintained between professionalism and personal dynamics.

According to Keith Richards in his memoir, Life, Mick Jagger, in a drunken state, phoned Charlie Watts’s hotel room and shouted, “Where’s my drummer?” As recounted by sources within the band, the next detail revealed that Charlie shaved, put on a suit, polished his shoes, then walked straight down to Mick’s room.

He knocked, and as soon as the door opened, he punched his bandmate in the face.

The quote that followed was recorded as, “Never call me your drummer again.

” It’s possible that Mick’s loud outburst and phrasing at that moment bruised Charlie’s sense of pride.

Even though specific details may have been embellished by witnesses, Mick Jagger himself later confirmed in interviews that the incident did happen.

He acknowledged that some aspects may have been dramatized by Keith Richards to make the story more compelling.

Mick admitted the event made him reconsider his behavior at the time.

This is considered one of the rare occasions when Charlie publicly reacted to a perceived lack of respect, particularly when it came from the frontman of the band.

The Amsterdam incident was not the only documented tension between Charlie and Mick.

Back in a 1978 interview, Charlie told a reporter that he did not like talking to the press about things unrelated to music.

While during that same period, Mick Jagger frequently appeared in the media with provocative statements.

Their stark differences in lifestyle and approach to public relations occasionally led to media speculation about simmering tension within the band.

Still, other members of the Rolling Stones consistently maintained that despite differing views and personal expressions, Charlie Watts never considered leaving the band or breaking ties with any member.

Keith Richards said, “Charlie always kept a safe distance from the noise, but he never abandoned us.

He was the most reliable man I’ve ever known.

”

Beyond the recorded disputes, Charlie was also known for his principled work ethic.

During rehearsals, he was often the first to arrive and the last to leave.

He was also the only member who had once refused to play a track if he felt it wasn’t up to standard.

One example occurred in 1994 when the band was preparing to release the Voodoo Lounge album.

Charlie insisted on re-recording the entire drum section of a song because he believed the original arrangement lacked soul.

Conflicts within the Rolling Stones were not limited to Charlie and Mick Jagger.

At one point, Mick and Keith had a long-standing dispute over control of the band.

Charlie’s role as a mediator often helped restore balance.

Keith Richards even described him as someone who could make everyone stop and refocus on the most important thing, the music.

Internal tensions in a band that lasted over six decades were inevitable.

Still, what made Charlie Watts’s story unique was the way he handled conflicts, always within the bounds of discipline, clear enough to prevent misunderstandings.

Charlie’s Final Chapter

That very spirit continued into his final chapter, a period marked by a quiet decision that ended up reshaping the direction of the entire band.

Withdrawing from the final tour on August 5th, 2021, the Rolling Stones officially announced that Charlie Watts would not participate in the No Filter Tour in the United States, which was scheduled to begin in September that year.

The press release stated that he was recovering from an unspecified surgical procedure and doctors had advised him to rest.

Replacing him on the tour was veteran drummer Steve Jordan, a longtime collaborator with Keith Richards on the X-Pensive Winos project.

In the band’s statement, Charlie had graciously approved with trust and wished the tour great success.

Earlier in late July 2021, the media had begun to question Charlie’s absence from internal meetings, sound checks, and promotional photo shoots for the tour.

There were no signs at the time suggesting that his health was in a critical state within the band.

Some members said Charlie was still regularly texting and calling to stay updated on preparations and had also sent words of encouragement to Steve Jordan.

According to close sources, he remained a technical adviser for the new arrangements used during the tour.

Only three weeks after the withdrawal announcement, on August 24th, 2021, representatives of the Rolling Stones confirmed that Charlie Watts had passed away at a hospital in London.

No detailed information about the cause of death was released as the family requested privacy.

British and American media subsequently reported on the event with publications such as The Guardian and Rolling Stone, noting that he had been hospitalized since early August for complications following surgery.

Some unofficial sources claimed it was heart-related surgery, but the family did not confirm this.

After his passing, the media revisited earlier rumors concerning Charlie’s actual health condition.

An article in the Daily Mail reported that he had undergone treatment in early 2021 but remained committed to preparing for the tour until the very last moment.

Meanwhile, outlets such as NME and Billboard only reiterated the official statement from the band without adding any further details.

As for the band, Keith Richards was the first to confirm that the decision to proceed with the tour was made in accordance with Charlie’s wishes.

In an interview with Apple Music in October 2021, Keith said, “He told us, ‘You’ve got to do this show, not just for me, but for everything.

‘”

Ronnie Wood later shared that Charlie left a brief but firm message: “Keep going.

Don’t stop because of me.

” At the first show of the No Filter Tour held on September 26th, 2021, in St.

Louis, Missouri, the band held a one-minute tribute to Charlie right before the performance began.

On the large stage screen, images of Charlie from past tours were replayed along with a thank you message from the entire band.

Mick Jagger stated, “We miss him every day.

This is the first time we’ve performed without Charlie since 1963.

It’s really not easy.

”

Steve Jordan, who stepped in for Charlie on the tour, said in an interview with Variety that he did not take on the role to replace him but only to keep the beat going so the band could carry on.

He said, “Charlie was one of my greatest drumming influences.

No one can fill that role, and I’m not trying to.

”

The No Filter Tour continued as scheduled, concluding in November 2021 in Hollywood, Florida.

Although Charlie was absent, it remained one of the Rolling Stones’ most commercially successful tours of the past decade.

A total of 14 shows in the US attracted nearly 600,000 attendees and grossed over $115 million.

Still, international media noted a distinctly different atmosphere.

Less color, fewer words, and more tributes.

The final chapter of Charlie Watts’s career did not end with a formal farewell or a major press event.

Instead, he left behind a message, a space on stage, and a single request: keep going.

And that was exactly what Mick Jagger later confirmed—that the entire tour and all the silence that followed stemmed from a short promise made to Charlie.

On August 27th, 2021, Mick Jagger posted a photo of Charlie sitting behind his drum kit without any caption.

It was the first time fans saw Mick express his emotions in such a subtle, unmistakable way.

Major outlets like The Independent, BBC, and Rolling Stone referred to the image as a wordless but deeply moving tribute.

A few days later, in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone magazine published in September 2021, Mick officially spoke out about the passing of his longtime bandmate.

In the interview, Mick said, “Charlie was the heartbeat of the band, the one we all revolved around.

He didn’t just keep time; he kept us together.

” He described Charlie as a quiet presence who influenced every decision and admitted that performing without him was a strange and unfamiliar feeling.

Rolling Stone quoted Mick as saying, “I keep looking over my shoulder during shows, and he’s not there anymore.

It’s a void I don’t know how to get used to.

” Beyond his words, Mick Jagger also took part in several quiet tributes to Charlie Watts.

During the concert on October 9th, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee, the band played a short video montage featuring Charlie’s most iconic moments throughout his career, ending with the message, “Forever in the beat.

” Mick said nothing on stage at the time, but the media noted he bowed his head for over 10 seconds after the clip ended.

In September 2023, Mick appeared on Radio X in the UK and for the first time admitted that he still hadn’t gotten used to performing without Charlie.

“We did hundreds of shows together, and I used to think we would go on like that forever.

There are things you think will be permanent until they’re not,” he shared.

In addition to his personal remarks, Mick Jagger was directly involved in selecting two songs on the Hackney Diamonds album released in October 2023, both of which featured the last drum parts Charlie recorded before his passing.

The tracks “Mess It Up” and “Live by the Sword” were preserved with their original arrangements, with no posthumous editing.

This was seen as the clearest tribute the Rolling Stones could give.

At the album’s press event, Mick said simply, “We didn’t want to change anything.

He’s still part of this album the way he’s always been part of the band.

” The respect Mick held for Charlie was also evident in the biography Charlie’s Good Tonight, written by Paul Ston, and released in late 2022.

Mick was one of the people quoted in the book, describing Charlie as “the hinge that kept the band’s door from falling off.

” Although the book primarily relied on accounts from family members and other bandmates, Mick’s contributions were praised by critics as succinct and emotionally resonant.

He didn’t delve into personal stories but confirmed that Charlie never wanted to be in the spotlight but was always the center in his own way.

From scattered statements in 2021 and 2023 to quiet gestures on stage, Mick Jagger hasn’t spoken often about Charlie, but every time he does, it becomes a moment worth noting.

The final words he chose to describe his bandmate of nearly 60 years were, “He never wanted to be the story, but he was our story.

”

These confirmations, though delayed, became a direct bridge to the audience.

A reminder that Charlie Watts’s role lives on not just in memory but in the ongoing rhythm of the Rolling Stones.

The Timeless Legacy of Charlie Watts

The legacy Charlie Watts left behind is not only preserved in recordings but also reflected in how his bandmates and family have carefully safeguarded every detail of his career.

Charlie’s family, including his wife Shirley Anne Shepard and daughter Seraphina Watts, are currently managing a collection dedicated to Charlie’s jazz projects, which includes many unreleased recordings from the Charlie Watts Quintet and Tentet.

According to a February 2025 article in Jazz Times, the family is working with an independent label to compile a new anthology expected to be released later this year.

The collection is said to feature performances from Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, a venue where Charlie frequently played during years when he was not touring with the Rolling Stones.

Charlie Watts’s impact has also been widely recognized by both his peers and subsequent generations of musicians.

Paul McCartney called him “the most consistently soulful drummer in the rock world.

” Elton John remarked that Charlie was someone who didn’t need the spotlight, but everyone watched.

Ringo Starr, a close friend of Charlie’s, once wrote on social media that no one held a band together the way Charlie held the Rolling Stones.

 

On streaming platforms, the number of listens to tracks featuring Charlie’s drumming surged after his passing and remained at a high level through 2025.

Several online music programs have since added dedicated courses titled “Analyzing the Drumming Technique of Charlie Watts,” highlighting an influence that extended beyond the traditional fan base.

Notably, his “less is more” approach, characterized by restraint and subtlety, is increasingly recognized as a distinct school of thought among professional musicians.

The Rolling Stones, after more than 60 years of existence, are gradually approaching the twilight of their touring era.

But Charlie Watts remains a constant presence in everything they do.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood consistently avoid using the word “replace” when referring to the person now occupying Charlie’s spot, emphasizing instead, “Steve is helping us move forward, but Charlie can’t be replaced.

At this point, what remains of Charlie Watts is not a legacy frozen in the past but something that continues to live on in every performance, every beat, and every quiet but resolute affirmation from those who stood beside him.

From the man who always stood behind the drums, Charlie Watts became the irreplaceable foundation of the Rolling Stones for more than half a century.

The acknowledgments from Mick Jagger at age 81 not only put to rest the lingering rumors but also helped the public better understand an artist who lived humbly and left a profound and lasting influence.

What do you think about these revelations? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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