Pete Townshend wrote a heartfelt tribute to Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones drummer who died on Tuesday at age 80. (Rolling Stone)
The Who guitarist posted a photo of a rainbow on Instagram, captioning it, “Full Moon. Rainbow. Always a sign. Charlie Watts wept at Keith Moon’s funeral. I wish I was capable of such tears today. Instead, I just want to say goodbye. Not a rock drummer, a jazz drummer really, and that’s why the Stones swung like the Basie band!! Such a lovely man. God bless his wife and daughter, and I’ll bet the horses will miss him too.”
http://https://www.instagram.com/p/CS989zFsAZT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Townshend is the latest musician to honor Watts, including Elton John, Ringo Starr, Graham Nash, Jim Keltner, Ry Cooder, and more. “Condolences to the Stones, it will be a huge blow to them because Charlie was a rock,” Paul McCartney said. “A fantastic drummer, steady as a rock. Love you Charlie. I’ve always loved you, beautiful man.”
“The Rolling Stones have always been my favorite band, and Charlie was the engine of subtle and heavy grooves,” Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready said. “Any of us in a rock band wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for Charlie.”
