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Drummer Charlie Watts likely to miss Rolling Stones’ tour

Spokesperson for the musician said he has to recover from a medical procedure



Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones poses for a portrait on Monday, November 14, 2016, in New York, New York. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP)
Image Credit: Victoria Will/Invision/AP

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will likely miss the band’s upcoming US tour to allow him to recover from an unspecified medical procedure.

A spokesperson for the musician said the procedure was “completely successful” but that Watts needs time to recuperate. The Stones are set to resume their No Filter tour with a stadium show on September 26 in St. Louis.

Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones performs during the concert of their 'No Filter' Europe Tour 2017 at U Arena in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017.
Image Credit: AP

“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,” a spokesperson for Watts said in a statement.

Watts, 80, said in a statement he did not want his recovery to further delay the tour, which is set to visit several US cities including Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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“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,” Watts said.

Watts successfully underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2004. He will be replaced by understudy Steve Jordan, who has played with Keith Richards for years.

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