Keith Richards Has Quit Smoking

Richards said last year that quitting smoking was tougher than kicking heroin

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones performs at the Rose Bowl
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones performs onstage at the Rose Bowl in August 2019.
Kevin Winter/Getty

His vices are the stuff of rock ‘n’ roll legend, but in an interview on Thursday, Keith Richards revealed he’s kicked another bad habit, telling Q104.3 New York’s Jim Kerr that he’s given up cigarettes.

“I’ve given up smoking … since October,” Richards, 76, said. “Done that, been there.”

Richards had reportedly been trying to quit for quite some time. Last year, he said quitting smoking was more difficult than kicking heroin.

“Quitting heroin is like hell, but it’s a short hell,” he said at the time. “Cigarettes are just always there, and you’ve always done it. I just pick ’em up and light ’em up without thinking about it.”

The news comes on the heels of the Rolling Stones’ just-announced North American leg of their “No Filter” tour, which will see the group performing in 15 cities across the United States and Canada beginning in May.

“We had the best time on the road last summer, and we are ready to do it again,” Richards said in a statement.

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