GET OFF MY CLOUD, PUFFS STONE KEITH
STILL SMOKING: Keith
HE HAS quit the booze but rock legend Keith Richards has drawn the line when it comes to giving up smoking.
The 66-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist has reportedly given up the bottle after decades of heavy drinking.
The hard-living star sustained serious head injuries when he fell out of a palm tree in Fiji four years ago and he’s said to have been warned by doctors that his hedonistic lifestyle is finally taking its toll. He was said to be alarmed by the sight of pal and bandmate Ronnie Wood falling off the wagon recently.
Despite being alcohol-free, pals insist Keith has no intention of giving up cigarettes.
“Smoking is now Keith’s one and only vice and he isn’t stopping,” says one friend. “He’s done very well on the drinking front but he’s been a heavy smoker since his teens and that’s one pleasure he’s simply not prepared to give up.”
Richards has regularly smoked on stage over the years and even landed the band in hot water by ignoring cigarette bans in venues.
His more health-conscious bandmate Sir Mick Jagger quit the evil weed many years ago. “Keith simply can’t start the day properly without a cigarette,” we’re told.
Keith even hopes the ban will be lifted so he can spark up inside in the warm.
“It’s a bit of a drag because you’ve got to freeze your ***** off to light a cigarette,” he’s grumbled in the past.
“You’ve got to go outside. It’s draconian, social, politically correct bull****.
“They’ll get over it. It’s like prohibition, they tried to stop booze once. Ha! Look what happened. It ruined America.”
And despite being sober these days, Keith has insisted his hedonistic lifestyle was always under control, insisting:
‘”I’ve never had a problem with drugs. I’ve had a problem with the police, though.”
