Charlie Watts: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards pay tribute to Rolling Stones bandmate

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Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have paid tribute to their bandmate Charlie Watts, following the death of the Rolling Stones drummer.

In posts on Twitter and Instagram, singer Sir Mick shared a photograph of Watts smiling while seated behind a drum kit. 

Guitarist Richards also took to social media to share a picture of a set of drums with a "closed" sign on them.

Watts died aged 80 in a London hospital on Tuesday, the band's publicist said.

The news came weeks after it was announced that he would miss the Rolling Stones' US tour starting next month to recover from an unspecified medical procedure. Watts was previously treated for throat cancer in 2004.He had been a member of the Stones since January 1963, when he joined Sir Mick, Keith Richards and Brian Jones in their fledgling group.

Watts helped them become, with the Beatles, one of the bands who took rock 'n' roll to the masses in the 1960s with classics such as (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Get Off My Cloud and Sympathy for the Devil.