LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will likely miss the band’s upcoming U.S. tour to allow him to recover from an unspecified medical procedure.
A spokesperson for the musician said Wednesday the procedure was “completely successful” but that Watts needs time to recuperate.
“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 reportedly said in a statement.
The Stones are set to resume their No Filter tour on Sept. 26 in St. Louis and visit several U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Rehearsals are set to begin in a couple of weeks.
Watts, 80, will be replaced by understudy Steve Jordan, who has played with Keith Richards for years.
Watts successfully underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2004. It's not clear if the latest medical procedure was related to the throat cancer diagnosis.
