In the ’60s and ’70s, The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards led a rock and roll lifestyle that got him in trouble on more than one occasion. Not only did his partying ways earn him a bad-boy reputation, but his antics also had the media anticipating his death. They even stuck the classic rock legend on an “Expected to Die” list in 1973.
Keith Richards ranked No. 1 on an ‘Expected to Die’ list
A recently uncovered interview with Keith Richards shows his response to learning he ranked at the top of an “Underground Top 10” list of celebrities expected to die soon. In the clip shared on TikTok, Richards and Mick Jagger casually smoked cigarettes while an interviewer dropped this bomb on them.
“Am I on the list?” Richards asked bluntly, interrupting the interviewer who brought it up. However, he seemed to know the answer already. After the interviewer told him he was awarded the number one spot on the list, Richards dismissed their comment saying, “Great. OK, I’ll let you know.”
As we all know, the 79-year-old icon proved them wrong by outliving many musicians who rose to fame around the same time.
Keith Richards joked about the list
According to a 2016 tweet, Richards was on the “expected to die” list for 10 years! When he was finally removed, The Rolling Stones guitarist admitted he was disappointed. He wrote on Twitter:
“I was number one on the who-is-most-likely-to-die list for 10 years. I was really disappointed when I fell of the list!”
In another tweet later that night, Richards reflected on what it’s like getting older. He shared some words of wisdom with his fans, writing:
“Getting old is a fascinating thing. The older you get, the older you want to get!”
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Death is a common topic for Richards in interviews, as so many didn’t expect him to be around this long. On CBS Sunday Morning, he spoke about how he has outlived many of his friends and other rock legends like David Bowie, Prince, and Leon Russell.
While he cracked some jokes at first, saying, “I told you I’d outlive ya!” before mentioning his placement on the list. Ultimately, Richards reflected on aging and his own mortality.
“The further you go down the pike, ya know, the fewer and fewer friends are left around… When friends drop by the wayside, ya know, and you get mad at them, say, ‘You’re leaving me here alone?’ It’s one of those things, but this is what will happen to you all if you get as lucky to get as old as I am.”
Even though Richards is alive and well, he has come close to death on more than several occasions.
Keith Richards had quite a few close calls with death
Whoever put Richards at the top of the “expected to die” list clearly didn’t know that the man had luck on his side. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, over the decades, the guitarist nearly died by electrocution, drug overdose, two fires, and library books heavy enough to break three ribs.
These days, Richards is still creating new music and playing live shows with The Rolling Stones. In 2022, the band went on its 60th-anniversary tour, the first without drummer Charlie Watts who died in 2021.
The band is currently working on its first studio album featuring new music since 2005. According to Billboard, the record will include a highly-anticipated collaboration with Sir Paul McCartney and some pre-recorded drumming performed by Watts.
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