Keith Richards has had his share of wild drug-fueled escapades, but one particular incident nearly cost him his life. During a European tour, he unknowingly took a dose laced with a pesticide—an unexpected and nearly fatal twist in his long history of indulgence. Even for someone with his legendary resilience, this was a close call.
The moment stands out not just because of the danger, but because it was completely out of his control. Unlike his usual excesses, this wasn’t a case of pushing limits—it was sabotage. Whoever tampered with his supply had no regard for whether he lived or died, turning a reckless habit into a game of survival.
It’s a testament to his iron constitution that he made it through, but the experience left its mark. This wasn’t just another rock-and-roll war story; it was a reminder that even rock gods aren’t invincible.
A Life of Chaos and Survival
Keith Richards isn’t just a rock legend—he’s a walking collection of outrageous stories. At 77, the Rolling Stones guitarist has lived through some of the wildest moments in music history, often blurring the line between myth and reality. Take the time Chuck Berry punched him in the face, for instance. Richards had met Berry backstage and, despite being warned not to touch his guitar, he did anyway.
Then there was the infamous Playboy Mansion incident in 1972. While getting high in the bathroom with saxophonist Bobby Keys, Richards accidentally started a fire, nearly burning the place down. A legendary party like that wouldn’t have been complete without a bit of chaos, but this one came dangerously close to disaster.
Beyond the fights and near disasters, Richards also seemed to defy the limits of human endurance. It’s said that in 1978, he went nine straight days without sleep—a feat that seems impossible to most, but for him, it was just another chapter in a life lived on the edge.
Been There, Done That
Richards has never shied away from talking about his long and complicated relationship with drugs. While every member of The Rolling Stones had their share of wild experiences, none compare to the drug-fueled adventures of their lead guitarist. His history with substances is legendary, but in a 2018 interview with The Telegraph, he seemed unimpressed with the state of drugs today.
“Drugs are not interesting these days,” he said. To him, they had become too “institutionalized and bland,” lacking the thrill they once had. With a smirk, he added, “And, anyway, I’ve done ’em all.” For someone who had pushed every limit imaginable, there wasn’t much left to explore.
Despite his infamous reputation, Richards admitted he had taken a break. “I’m not saying I’m definitely off all of this stuff,” he clarified. “In six months’ time, I might be on it again. But at the moment, for a couple of months, I haven’t touched it.” Sobriety, he said, felt almost “novel”—a rare experiment in a life where excess had always been the norm.
Close Call with Death
Richards has survived more than his fair share of drug-fueled chaos, but ironically, it wasn’t a near-death experience that made him quit—it was boredom. One of his most terrifying encounters came during a European tour when someone laced his drugs with strychnine, a deadly pesticide. “Someone put strychnine in my dope,” he recalled. “It was in Switzerland. I was totally comatose, but I was totally awake.”
He could hear everything around him but couldn’t move, trapped in a state between life and death. “I could listen to everyone, and they were like, ‘He’s dead, he’s dead,’ waving their fingers and pushing me about. I was thinking, ‘I’m not dead,’” he later revealed. Despite the panic around him, Richards somehow pulled through, adding yet another outrageous tale to his collection.
As if that wasn’t wild enough, he joked about his reputation for surviving the impossible. “I was number one on The Who’s list of people who were likely to die for 10 years,” he said. “I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list.” For most people, a brush with death might be a wake-up call. For Richards, it was just another strange day in the life of rock and roll.