Mick Jagger has pushed back against claims in Bob Spitz’s biography that he nearly died from heroin use in 1976, with sources close to the singer describing the account as exaggerated and misleading.
One insider said, “There is deep frustration about how this period of his life is being portrayed — it risks reducing a complex history to a single sensational episode. Mick has always acknowledged excess in the band’s early years, but there is a feeling this account crosses into speculation.”
Inside the biography’s claims
The allegations appear in Spitz’s The Rolling Stones: The Biography, in which former Rolling Stones Records president Marshall Chess claims he had to resuscitate Jagger at his New York City apartment in 1976 after the pair shared one gram of heroin.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of rock band the Rolling Stones appear before magistrates in Chichester, West Sussex, charged with drug offences.
The magistrates heard that after a tip-off, police raided Mr Richards's mansion in Redlands Road, West Wittering on the evening of pic.twitter.com/l6krDfdngv— the painter flynn (@thepainterflynn) May 10, 2025
Chess said that the alleged incident occurred after the Stones’ European tour in spring 1976. According to his account, Jagger called to say he was bored and that he was heading over. Chess claimed the singer arrived restless, had already consumed alcohol and likely cocaine but was determined to continue the night.
Spitz, whose previous biographies of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin earned critical acclaim, recounts Chess’ claim that despite trying to stop using heroin at the time, he agreed to accompany Jagger to buy more.
According to the book, the two traveled in Jagger’s limousine to visit what Chess described as a “Buddhist heroin dealer he knew who was at the beck and call of New York junkies twenty-four hours a day.”
After returning, Chess claims he and Jagger “shared a little gram of heroin,” and that the situation quickly turned serious. Roughly 10 minutes later, Jagger reportedly collapsed.
Spitz writes, “Mick was out cold. Chess tried dragging him upright, even slapped him a couple of times, but — nothing.” According to Chess, Jagger’s lips were turning blue when emergency crews were called.
Chess, as quoted in the book, described the moment as one of panic. “His lips were turning blue. I didn’t know what else to do. I was freaked,” Chess wrote, “Mick Jagger’s gonna die in my f****** apartment!”
Jagger’s prior drug history
The biography notes that while bandmate Keith Richards‘ heroin struggles were well documented until he quit in 1978, Jagger’s history with the drug received less public attention.
Jagger was arrested in 1969 after authorities claimed they found heroin at his home, though he maintained he had been framed.
Earlier, in February 1967, Jagger and Richards were arrested at Richards’ home, Redlands, a country estate in West Wittering, Sussex, on drug possession charges. The raid followed a tabloid campaign against the band and became one of the most infamous legal episodes in rock history.
Jagger later spoke candidly about Richards’ addiction, telling the Daily Telegraph, “Anyone taking heroin is thinking about taking heroin more than they’re thinking about anything else … when Keith was taking heroin, it was very difficult to work.”
Jagger’s former partner Jerry Hall also discussed his drug use in her 2010 memoir. She recalled discovering early in their relationship that he was using drugs and gave him an ultimatum.
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Hall wrote, “I told him I couldn’t see him if he took drugs, saying, ‘Go away and don’t come back until you’re straight.’ He succeeded — he had amazing willpower.”
