Happy Birthday to Rolling Stones co-founder Keith Richards, who turns 78 on Saturday (December 18th)!!! Richards, a man who due to his previous penchant for hard street drugs wasn't expected to see 30 — let alone 50 — has often infamously topped numerous "Most Likely To Die Lists" over the years. Today also marks the 37th anniversary for Richards and wife Patti Hansen, who married in 1983 on the guitarist's 40th birthday — with Mick Jagger serving as best man.
The Stones wrapped their 2021 "No Filter" tour dates this past November 23rd at Hollywood, Florida's Hard Rock Live. The 15-show run marked the band's first without Charlie Watts on drums. Watts, who died on August 24th at the age of 80 from cancer, was replaced by Keith Richards' longtime collaborator and drummer, Steve Jordan.
Back in 2019, Keith Richards grabbed headlines by revealing that — barring the occasional glass of wine or bottle of beer — he's essentially sober. Richards — whose primary poison for years was Stoli and Sunkist — told Rolling Stone: "It’s been about a year now. I pulled the plug on it. I got fed up with it. It was time to quit. Just like all the other stuff." When asked if it was an adjustment for him, Richards laughed and said, "You can call it that, yeah. But I don’t notice any difference really — except for I don’t drink. I wasn’t feeling (right). I’ve done it. I didn’t want that anymore. . . It was interesting to play sober."