Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger miraculously survived two brushes with death in the 1970s and the 1980s, according to a new biography.
Music producer Marshall Chess opened up about Jagger’s first near-death experience in Bob Spitz’s new book, “The Rolling Stones: The Biography.”
Mick Jagger’s Near-Fatal Overdose
Chess was the founding president of Rolling Stones Records in the early 1970s, Daily Mail reported on Monday, April 27.
Jagger was just 33 years old when he “almost died after overdosing on heroin” at a friend’s home in New York City in 1976, Chess claimed.
“Mick was out cold,” Spitz wrote, per Daily Mail. “Chess tried dragging him upright, even slapped him a couple of times, but – nothing.”
According to Chess, Jagger’s “lips were turning blue” when emergency crews were called.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” Chess said. “I was freaked. Mick Jagger’s gonna die in my [expletive] apartment.”
First responders were able to resuscitate the “Paint It, Black” artist.
Mick Jagger Gets Clean
The rock star and his bandmates Keith Richards and Brian Jones’ drug use has been heavily publicized over the years.
Jagger, however, was able to get clean after meeting actress Jerry Hall.
“I told him I couldn’t see him if he took drugs, saying, ‘Go away and don’t come back until you’re straight.’ He succeeded – he had amazing willpower,” the “Batman” actress wrote in her 2010 autobiography, “Jerry Hall: My Life in Pictures.”
Jagger was arrested in 1967 for drug possession at Keith Richards’ home.,
“Anyone taking heroin is thinking about taking heroin more than they’re thinking about anything else … when Keith (Richards) was taking heroin, it was very difficult to work,” he later told the Daily Telegraph, per The Guardian.
Mick Jagger’s 2nd Run-in With Death
Nearly a decade after surviving a drug overdose, Jagger survived another brush with death.
In 1984, the rocker and his band were in Amsterdam drinking, when Jagger and Richards returned to the hotel around 5 a.m., according to Page Six.
The outlet reported that Jagger called drummer Charlie Watts’ hotel room and shouted, “Where’s my drummer?”
When Watts arrived, he was apparently angry about Jagger calling him “my drummer.”
“Then he hauled off and belted Mick square in the jaw.”
The “Satisfaction” artist fell backwards “toward an open window and the canal below.”
“I just grabbed his leg and saved him from going out,” Richards said, per Page Six.
Keith Richards’ Career
Richards, now 82, is known as one of the most influential frontmen and songwriters in music history. The London native and his band have been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, beginning with 1979’s Album of the Year for “Some Girls.”
Their first win came in 1987 when they were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Three of the band’s hits, including “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and “Honky Tonk Women,” and four of their albums have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The Stones were rumored to be touring the U.K. and Europe with a 2026 stadium tour. However, in December 2025, Variety reported that Richards was unable to “commit” and the plans were called off.
“When they properly sat down to discuss the tour, Keith said he didn’t think he could commit and wasn’t keen on a big stadium tour for over four months,” The Sun reported at the time.
