Rolling Stones Mick Jagger: Health, Legal Troubles, and Net Worth

Few frontmen have shaped rock mythology as deeply as Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones’ lead singer has spent six decades commanding arenas, but his life offstage has been just as eventful—battling health scares, navigating legal showdowns, and weathering a famously rocky friendship with Keith Richards.

Birthdate: 26 July 1943 ·
Net worth (estimated): £385 million ·
Knighthood year: 2003 ·
Years active: 1960–present ·
Number of studio albums with Rolling Stones: 24

Six key details sum up the man behind the stage:

What Is Mick Jagger’s Illness?

Health scares and recovery

• In 2019, Jagger needed a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a minimally invasive procedure to replace a faulty heart valve. On 4 April 2019, his team announced the surgery had been successful and that he was in great health (Wikipedia (community-edited reference)).
• The procedure forced the postponement of a Rolling Stones North American tour, which was later rescheduled and completed.

Jagger has no known chronic illness that prevents him from performing. The 2019 surgery was a planned intervention, not an emergency, and he returned to the stage within months.

Jagger’s heart surgery in 2019

• The procedure was a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
• Jagger was 75 at the time; he returned to touring in 2020.
• In February 2025, the Rolling Stones won their fourth Grammy for Best Rock Album for Hackney Diamonds (Biography.com (media outlet)).

The implication: Jagger’s health is not a limiting factor for his career. The surgery, while serious, was a one-time fix that allowed him to keep performing at full capacity.

Why Did the Queen Refuse to Knight Mick Jagger?

Timeline of the knighthood

• Jagger was knighted for services to popular music in the Queen’s 2002 Birthday Honours (The Gazette (UK official journal)).
• The actual ceremony took place on 12 December 2003, conducted by the Prince of Wales.
• Keith Richards publicly called the knighthood “ludicrous” (BBC News (UK public broadcaster)).

Claims that the Queen personally refused to knight Jagger are not supported by official records. The honour was announced in the 2002 Birthday Honours list, and the Queen was not involved in the ceremony itself.

Alleged reasons for delay

• Some reports suggested Jagger’s drug convictions and tax exile status delayed the honour, but no formal explanation exists.
• The BBC described the knighthood as “controversial” within the Rolling Stones camp (same source).

The pattern: the knighthood was a milestone that sparked internal band friction, but it was never blocked by the monarchy. The “Queen refused” narrative appears to be a persistent rumor without documentary evidence.

Are Keith Richards and Mick Jagger Still Friends?

Public spats and reconciliations

• Keith Richards has publicly criticised Jagger, calling his knighthood “ludicrous” and describing their relationship as “brothers, but brothers fight” (BBC News (UK public broadcaster)).
• Despite public disagreements, the pair have continued to record and tour together for decades.

Current relationship

• As of 2025, the Rolling Stones remain active, with Jagger and Richards collaborating on new material and live shows.
• No formal split has occurred; both have repeatedly stated their commitment to the band.

The takeaway: the Jagger-Richards dynamic is a hallmark of the Stones’ longevity, mixing conflict with creative partnership.

What Was Mick Jagger Jailed For?

The 1967 Redlands bust

• In February 1967, police raided Keith Richards’ home, Redlands, in West Sussex, and found cannabis and amphetamine pills (Britannica (authoritative encyclopedia)).
• Jagger was charged with possession of amphetamine tablets; Richards faced more serious charges for allowing cannabis use.
• The trial became a media sensation, symbolizing the clash between 1960s counterculture and the establishment.

Jagger was convicted and sentenced to three months in prison, but he was released on bail pending appeal (Men’s Journal (men’s lifestyle magazine)).

Charges and outcome

• The conviction was overturned on appeal in 1967, with the judge citing a misdirection by the original trial judge.
• Richards received a harsher sentence—one year—but it was also overturned (same source).
• The arrest and trial did not end Jagger’s career; instead, it solidified the Rolling Stones’ rebellious image.

The catch: what seemed like a career-ending scandal actually amplified the band’s mythos. The Redlands bust is now a footnote in a six-decade career, but it set the pattern for Jagger’s lifelong dance with the law.

What Did Mick Jagger Say When David Bowie Died?

Jagger’s public statement

• After David Bowie’s death in January 2016, Jagger said: “He was a true original, a wonderful person” (Biography.com (media outlet)).
• Jagger and Bowie shared a personal friendship and had collaborated on the 1985 single “Dancing in the Street”.

Their friendship

• Both artists admired each other’s work; Jagger later performed a tribute at the 2016 Brit Awards.
• Bowie’s death prompted Jagger to reflect on their shared history in the music industry.

The pattern: Jagger’s tribute underscored the mutual respect between two rock icons, highlighting Bowie’s influence on Jagger’s own career.

For Mick Jagger, the pattern is clear: every controversy—the Redlands arrest, the knighthood row, the heart surgery—has been a chapter that, rather than closing his career, added another layer to his legend. The Rolling Stones continue to tour and record, and Jagger shows no sign of slowing down. For fans wondering whether the band will ever stop, the answer is likely the same as it was in 1962: not while Jagger is still standing.