Charlie Watts, A Music Legend Lost
By: Thomas Davila
Charlie Watts, drummer of the legendary British rock band The Rolling Stones passed away on Aug. 24 at a hospital in his home country of London, England at the age of 80.
Born Charles Robert Watts in London, England on June 2, 1941. His love for music started at a young age when he would bang on the kitchen table. His parents eventually bought him a drum kit when he was fourteen years old.
The Rolling Stones formed in 1962 after Brian Jones formed the band with Mick Jagger, pianist Ian Stewart, guitarists Dick Taylor and Keith Richards. In need of a drummer they soon met Watts, who was initially a jazz drummer. Watts turned down The Stones' offer to become their drummer but finally agreed to join the band in January of 1963 and would remain in that role until his death.
Watts was known for the way he carried himself on and off the stage, being compared to the likes of Keith Moon as well as many other drummers throughout the history of rock music. Watts was often seen wearing a suit and bowtie offstage and whenever the Stones performed.
In the 60s and 70s, musicians like Watts and Moon were often seen wearing suits or some type of stylish clothing whenever they performed. Nowadays, musicians wear either jeans or board shorts and a t-shirt when they perform at a concert.
A statement from The Rolling Stones and Watts' spokesperson reads: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London Hospital surrounded by family… We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members, and close friends is respected at this difficult time."
Watts' death comes a month after he was forced to pull out of the U.S. leg of The Rolling Stones' tour due to having a medical procedure for an unknown condition. The tour was originally scheduled to kick-off in September of last year but had to be put on hold, because of the ongoing pandemic.
The cause of Watts' death has not been revealed. Many fellow musicians and fans of the legendary drummer turned to social media and other outlets to express their condolences to Watts' family and friends including Mike McCready and former drummer of the band Los Lobos Enrique "Bugs" Gonzalez.
Ringo Starr, who was the drummer of The Beatles posted on Twitter, "#God bless Charlie Watts we're going to miss you man peace and love to the family..."
The Rolling Stones were another band that started what was known as "The British Invasion" along with The Beatles.
The world is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and many people have lost a loved one because of this virus. People that knew Watts personally as well as his fans are hoping that his passing was not a result of what has torn many families apart.