Charlie Watts, Legendary Drummer With The Rolling Stones, Dies At 80

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts passed away at the age of 80, according to a statement from his publicist. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Rise To Fame: Charles Robert Watts was born June 2, 1941, in the Bloomsbury section of London, the son of a truck driver. His initial musical focus was on the banjo, which he learned to dislike — he broke the neck off the instrument and began playing it like a drum. He received his first drum kit when he was 14, on which he practiced while listening to American jazz records.

Watts attended Harrow Art School and found work in the early 1960s as a graphic designer in London and Copenhagen. He was invited by Alexis Korner to join his group Blues Incorporated, which briefly included Mick Jagger as a singer.

Jagger was in the process of establishing his own band called the Rollin’ Stones, with guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman, pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman. There have been different versions regarding Chapman’s departure — some sources say he left voluntarily, others say he was booted — and Watts was brought in as his replacement.

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A Life In The Spotlight: Watts stayed with the band throughout its existence and only opted to sit out from performing earlier this month in order to recover from recent heart surgery. He personally selected Steve Jordan of the X-Pensive Winos as his replacement for the Stones’ new U.S. tour.

In the course of his life, Watts was challenged by drug and alcohol abuse, and in 2004 he was treated for throat cancer. His graphic design training percolated throughout his career, including the publication of his 1964 illustrative book tribute to Charlie Parker “Ode to a High Flying Bird” and his design of the band’s elaborate touring sets in the late 1970s.

Watts was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Stones in 1989. In 2006, he was elected into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame, while in 2016 Rolling Stone placed him 12th on their list of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.

Watts also maintained a sartorial elegance throughout his career, which earned him a selection by Vanity Fair into its International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2006.

Watts is survived by his wife Shirley, whom he married in 1964, along with daughter, stepson and granddaughter.

Photo: Charlie Watts at the drums in a December 1981 Rolling Stones concert. Photo by Michael Conen / Wikimedia Commons.