The Rolling Stones will have to continue on without drummer Charlie Watts.
Watts, 80, has had to drop out of the upcoming U.S. tour to recover from a medical procedure.
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“Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but I gather his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation. With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming,” the Stones said in a statement.
In his own statement, Watts said, “For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while. After all the fans’ suffering caused by Covid I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this Tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in for me.”
Watts has been with the band since its inception in 1962.
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Steve Jordan will replace Watts. Jordan has been part of the house bands on “Saturday Night Live” and “Late Night With David Letterman”. He has also worked with Keith Richards numerous times and is a part of the band X-Pensive Winos.
The tour kicks off in L.A. on Oct. 17, it was originally set to take place in 2020.
