Keith Richards shared back in February 2020 that he had finally quit smoking. So, how did the guitar icon kick the habit after decades?

He shared those details in a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning saying, “It’s funny, I don’t think about it much anymore…Yeah, a few patches for a few weeks. Sometimes, you know, a bell rings, something inside says, ‘Hey, pal – enough!’ So, I just put the hammer on it.”

When pressed on why he thinks that “bell” rung, Richards said with his trademark cool, “Probably getting on a bit! [Laughs] Luckily I don’t miss it, and that makes me feel good. Until I started rehearsing for the tour last August, and then I realized that I had 10 times more wind! [Laughs]”

When CBS’ Anthony Mason asked the X-Pensive Winos whether they noticed a difference in Keef’s vocals, drummer Steve Jordan said with a laugh, “Well, he’s singing more in the original keys.”

Richards is going to have a busy summer ahead of him. The Rolling Stones just announced a batch of European tour dates in honor of the band’s 60th anniversary. Full details on the tour can be found at RollingStones.com.

 

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