Richard Marx has insisted that Sir Rod Stewart will "never retire," despite the 81-year-old's recent announcement that his upcoming UK tour will be a "farewell to life on the road." The Grammy Award winner, 63, a friend and collaborator of Sir Rod, believes the rocker will ease out of huge touring productions while still taking to the stage.
'I Was Really Worried About Him'
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Richard recalled his concerns after a summer tour together: "I was really worried about him this summer, because I could tell he wasn't completely himself. We did a tour together, but the show that he did the night before he went into the hospital and found that he had this heart issue, you should've seen him."
"He played for two hours and sang his a*s off and ran around the stage, and we were all like, 'How can that possibly be?'" Richard added that he "knew" Rod wasn't "feeling right," explaining: "He's very conscious of his health, and he knew something was off."
'He's Totally Fine'
Now, Richard believes that Rod is "totally fine." He said: "When he said 'I'm not retiring,' trust me, he's not retiring. He'll never retire. But I'm kind of relieved that he's going to pull back from these big tours."
Richard added: "I have so much personal concern for him, I want him to be safe and healthy – I think he's making the right decision." He noted that Rod's voice can "get fragile, because it's just the nature of that sound," but that Rod will often question whether his voice is "up to it," before deciding the show must go on.
A Lifelong Friendship
Growing up, Richard was a lifelong fan of Sir Rod. The pair first met during the early days of Richard's career, which spans over five decades, and later duetted on the track "Young at Heart," originally performed by Frank Sinatra, for Richard's 14th studio album, After Hours.
Their friendship deepened after a chance meeting four years ago in Perth, Australia, where they ended up at the same restaurant. After several drinks together, Sir Rod invited Richard out on the road with him. Last year, Richard had the "greatest honour" of attending Rod's surprise 80th birthday party, where he made a toast: "Anyone in the world who says 'never meet your heroes' never met Rod."
The idea of duetting was actually Rod's. "Then he called me the next day and he said 'Let's do Young at Heart,'" Richard recalled. Tonight, Richard plays the last night of his two nights at the London Palladium, a venue he has never played before.
