He thought it would last a year at most, but Charlie Watts’s run as drummer with the Rolling Stones lasted nearly six decades. This weekend surviving band members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood united to bid a public farewell to the man whose rhythms powered their many hits, who died last Tuesday aged 80. After commenting individually on the loss last week, the Stones have released a video tribute featuring key moments of Watts’s career. The two-minute clip, posted on social media, includes an interview in which the drummer, a lorry driver’s son from Wembley, revealed that when he joined the band in 1963, he thought it might last a year. In another piece of striking footage, Watts, usually the most self-contained performer, is shown tossing his drumstick into a crowd of fans after frontman Jagger calls Watts the “Wembley Whammer”. The video finishes with a picture of Watts’s drum kit, hung with a “closed” sign. Guitarist Richards, 77, used the same photograph to mark the news on social media. Jagger, 78, picked a smiling portrait of Watts while Wood, 74, posted a smiling shot of himself and Watts, captioned: “I love you my fellow Gemini – I will dearly miss you – you are the best.” Representatives have confirmed that the Rolling Stones will embark on their 13-date No Filter US tour next month. Watts had already announced that he was stepping aside in order to recover from an unspecified medical procedure. … we have a small favour to ask. Millions are turning to the Guardian for open, independent, quality news every day, and readers in 180 countries around the world now support us financially. We believe everyone deserves access to information that’s grounded in science and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That’s why we made a different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This means more people can be better informed, united, and inspired to take meaningful action.