Ronnie Wood is reported to have entered rehab this week after his famed alcoholism resurfaced.
Wood has been clean of drink for much of the last decade, on the advice of doctors, but is understood to have checked himself into a clinic this week after his drinking 'got out of control'. With just under a month until the Stones continue their European date, playing shows from July 11 in Italy, the worry now is if Wood will be sufficiently recovered to play on the tour.
"Ronnie has fought a long battle with drink," a friend of the guitarist told the Sun newspaper. "He managed to keep his boozing down to a minimum while the Stones were playing their American dates at the end of last year. The first gig in Boston was the first time he had played sober and without a cigarette for the first time in years."
"But he has started drinking again over the last few weeks and it has got out of control. The stress of worrying about his mate Keith has not helped."
A spokesperson for Wood, however, said he would be in good shape for the forthcoming tour dates. "He needs some rest but he will definitely be fit for the first night of the European tour."
The latest worry comes around a month after lead guitarist Keith Richards' mishap while holidaying in Fiji. Richards has made a full recovery after undergoing brain surgery to alleviate stress on his skull following a fall from a coconut tree in Fiji.
