Following his death earlier this week, The Rolling Stones honored their longtime drummer Charlie Watts on Friday with a video tribute posted to the band’s Twitter. The two-minute clip is composed of archival footage of Watts on stage, in the studio, and behind-the-scenes at video shoots, soundtracked by the Stones’ 1974 hit “If You Can’t Rock Me.”
Watts, one of the Stones’ longest-running members, died on August 24th; he was 80 years old. His publicist wrote that he “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.” The news arrived just a few weeks after Watts announced he’d be skipping out on the Stones’ upcoming US tour due to an undisclosed medical procedure.
Mick Jagger’s Twitter account also shared the tribute clip, which serves as an ode to Watts’ epic tenure with the band. The song choice is appropriate, considering the lyrics “The band’s on stage and it’s one of those nights, oh yeah /The drummer thinks that he is dynamite, oh yeah.” Check out the video below.
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Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Joan Jett, and countless others have publicly remembered Watts since the news of his passing. Take a look at our list of his 10 best drumming moments here to see why he was considered among the best in his class.
— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) August 27, 2021