Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at 80

LONDON: British drummer Charlie Watts, who died on Tuesday at 80, was known as the quiet man of the scandal-soaked Rolling Stones, keeping the beat for the legendary rock group in his own steady style.

Watts’ deadpan expression and metronomic rhythms formed an integral part of the band’s classic performances, counterbalancing the onstage energy and charisma of singer Mick Jagger and the goofing about between guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.

While the other members became known for what Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper described as “marriage break-ups, addiction, arrests and furious bust-ups”, Watts lived quietly with his wife of more than 50 years, Shirley…