Shirley Watts dead: Wife of Rolling Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts dies aged 84

Shirley Watts, the wife of The Rolling Stones’ drummer Charlie, has died aged 84.

The news comes just 16 months after the death of her husband Charlie Watts, who died of cancer in 2021.

Shirley died on Friday 16 December in Devon following a short illness, according to a statement from her family.

“It is with great sadness that Seraphina, Charlotte and Barry announce the death of their much-loved mother, grandmother and mother-in-law Shirley Watts,” they wrote.

“Shirley died peacefully on Friday 16th December in Devon after a short illness surrounded by her family.”

“She will be also sadly missed by her sisters Jackie and Jill, and her brother Stephen,” the family continued.

“Reunited now forever with her beloved Charlie,” they added.

Seraphina is Shirely and Charlie’s only child. Barry is her second husband and Charlotte in Serephina’s daughter.

Shirley originally met at The Royal College of Art  in 1961 when she was studying sculpting and he was doing graphic design.

Shirley went on to become a very successful Arabian horse breeder, running a world class farm in their rural home of Devon.

The pair married three years later and were together until Charlie died from cancer last year.

In Paul Sexton’s biography Charlie’s Good Tonight, Charlie is quoted saying Shirley is an “incredible woman”, Variety reports.

“The one regret I have of this life is that I was never home enough,” he said.

“But she always says when I come off tour that I am a nightmare and tells me to go back out.”

The pair’s friend, Tony King, is also quoted on their relationship, saying that Shirley always “kept him in line”.

“He was never allowed to get too big for his boots if she was around. She would very quickly call it. She didn’t flinch about saying something to pull the rug from under his feet.”

He continued recalling a letter that Shirely had once sent him: “She said, ‘Charlie came home at the weekend, full of conceit about being a member of the Rolling Stones. So I made him clean the oven.”’