The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood obviously has gotten to hang out with plenty of famous people backstage at various concerts, but the legendary guitarist says there’s one particular celebrity he enjoyed spending time with the most.
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The 78-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was asked the question while visiting Irish chef Clodagh McKenna at her farm in Hampshire, U.K. McKenna’s interview with Wood was published in her new column for the Daily Mail newspaper’s You Magazine.
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Ronnie told the chef that his favorite celebrity to hang out with backstage was Tina Turner. Turner was The Rolling Stones’ opening act during the band’s 1981 tour.
“I was the only one she’d let visit her dressing room straight after a show,” Wood recalled. “And she’d say, ‘Come here!’ and give me a huge sweaty hug. We stayed friends and she came to watch us on tour in [Europe] shortly before she died [in 2023].”
Ronnie pointed out that Tina got to meet his current wife, Sally, and their twin daughters, Alice and Gracie, and was by pleasantly surprised about how much he’d settled down.
“[She] couldn’t believe how my life had changed and I’d become a family man,” Wood shared. “She was a beautiful spirit and I loved her.”
Ronnie said he also knew Tina’s first husband and early musical partner, Ike Turner, who was notoriously abusive to her before she divorced him.
“[I] didn’t like him quite as much,” Wood said. “I lent him $100 in the [1960s] and never got it back.”
Wood’s Paid Tribute to Turner After Her Death
After Turner’s death in May 2023, Wood posted a tribute to the iconic singer on his social media pages.
Ronnie message read, “God bless you Tina, the Queen of Rock and Soul and a dear friend to our family. Love and prayers to all of Tina’s family, friends and loved ones.” The post also featured photos of Turner’s backstage visit with Wood, his wife, and their daughters.
Another Music Star Wood Liked Hanging Out With
In his You Magazine interview, Wood named another famous music artist he had the pleasure of spending time with.
“I’ve performed with Bob Dylan, who was lovely,” Ronnie shared. He mentioned that Dylan gave him a cowboy hat as a gift, which he says “is on display in my café in Ireland.”
Wood’s café, which is called Yer Father’s Yacht, is location on the grounds of his residence in Kildare, Ireland.
(Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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