Charlie Watts' Throat Cancer Diagnosis and Recovery (2004)

Charlie Watts was diagnosed with throat cancer in early 2004 and immediately began radiation therapy. The Rolling Stones had already announced a European tour for that summer, but the treatment forced them to postpone the entire leg by a year. Watts stayed silent about his condition publicly until after it was resolved, and only a handful of close band members and management knew the severity.

His recovery was remarkably complete. By 2005, Watts was back behind the kit for the rescheduled European dates and the subsequent A Bigger Bang tour, looking thin but playing with his usual crisp, unflappable swing. The cancer never returned, and he continued touring with the Stones for another sixteen years until his death in 2021 from unrelated causes.