Keith Richards "still talks" to Charlie Watts.

The musician died in August 2021, aged 80, and Keith admits that he's left a big void in the Rolling Stones, even though he's been replaced on the band's new album by Steve Jordan.

Keith, 79, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "It’s like he came with ­Charlie’s blessing.

"Charlie’s so much a part of me, and we’ve been so much a part of the same thing, that although he’s passed, I still talk to him every time I’ve got a question. I’m like: ‘Now what would Charlie say?’ And I wait for the reply. Just because you’ve croaked don’t mean you’re over."

Sir Paul McCartney makes an appearance on the band's new album, 'Hackney Diamonds'.

And Keith relished the experience of working with the Beatles icon.

He shared: "Paul happened to be in town. And we couldn’t keep him away, bless his heart. And hey, if you can get one of the Beatles on your track, you know, you do it.

"Paul’s a very amiable cat to play with; we’ve been great friends forever."

Keith also believes that John Lennon and George Harrison - Paul's former bandmates - were perfectly suited to working with the Stones, despite the supposed rivalry between themselves and the Beatles.

He said: "I don’t think John Lennon would have had much problem fitting into the Stones, or George, if you can imagine that sort of thing happening. We were the same generation, and we all loved the same music.

"When we first heard the Beatles, we were relieved that there was some other band in England on the same track that we were on. And within a few months, that track was the main track."