Jordan Karlesson
The Rolling Stones recently wrapped a European leg that saw them celebrating their 60th birthday. As one of rock and roll’s most legendary and formative bands ever, the Stones are still going strong — COVID be damned.
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Still, the mystery behind the death of Brian Jones, one of the musicians who cofounded the band, remains. What caused the untimely end of the guitarist? Multiple theories are still bandied about.
The Death of the Rolling Stones’ Founding Guitarist
Authorities established that Brian Jones died by drowning in the swimming pool at his home in East Sussex, England, on July 3, 1969. But the circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear.
One of the vagaries is what led to Brian Jones’ drowning. Technically, a coroner in East Sussex recorded “death by misadventure,” according to a July 1969 news story in The Guardian.
The same report quoted a nurse, who was a friend of Jones, as saying he and builder Frank Thorogood — who was working at Jones’ property — asked her to have drinks with them.
“He had been drinking and he was a bit unsteady on his feet,” Janet Lawson, reportedly said. “I attempted conversation, but it was a little garbled. Brian Jones said it was because he had had his [sleeping pills].”
Jones then allegedly jumped in his pool for a swim — and was motionless at the bottom of the pool shortly thereafter.
Other Theories Emerge
Meanwhile, a pathologist reportedly discovered chronic bronchial issues in Brian Jones.
“For a man his age, his heart was a bit larger than it should have been,” Dr. Albert Sachs said in the Guardian story. “It was fatty and flabby. His liver was twice the normal weight.”
Even so, other theories about the circumstances leading to Jones’ death emerged.
One pointed to Thorogood as the culprit, saying he demanded more money from Brian Jones. Thorogood supposedly confessed killing Jones to the Rolling Stones’ driver, Tom Keylock, according to The Independent. Keylock denied the allegation; nevertheless, the theory prevailed strongly enough that a 2005 movie about Jones, Stoned, depicted it.
With his untimely death, Jones joined the so-called “27 Club,” consisting of musicians who — bizarrely — died at the same young age of 27. Other “members” include Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, and Kurt Cobain.
Momentum built around an investigation into Brian Jones’ death so strongly that, in August 2009, Sussex Police reviewed the case for the first time in 40 years. The following year, police declined to reopen it, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to call the coroner’s verdict into question.
The Rolling Stones, After Brian Jones
Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones continue to mourn the passing of their longtime drummer Charlie Watts.
Watts is one of the best rock drummers of all time, according to a general consensus among music critics. He joined the Stones in January 1963.
Last month, Mick Jagger tweeted a touching tribute marking the one-year anniversary of his friend’s passing. The video collection features a montage of photos of Watts while Jagger sings the Stones ballad “Till the Next Goodbye.”
Jagger simply captioned the post “Thinking of Charlie today.”
