In 1969, original front man Brian Jones was found dead in a swimming pool. Thought to be an accident at the time, accusations of murder have surfaced since. A film based on his biography Who Killed Christopher Robin? is soon to hit screens.
Then came the drug raids. Arrests. Accidents. Affairs. Failed marriages. And the infamous concert at Altamont, in San Francisco, when a young black fan called Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death during the band's performance. For many, that event marked the end of the 60s.
The 70s and 80s were no different. Jagger and Richards drifted apart. Record sales suffered. There was a controversy surrounding the video for Undercover of the Night, which supposedly included real assassination footage. Unofficial band member Ian Stewart died of a heart attack in 1986. The band, meanwhile, simply played on.
They still don't shirk from a hullabaloo either. Far from it. The latest issue involves the band's ballad Angie, being used as an unofficial anthem by German politician Angela Merkel in her campaign against Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. The Stones say permission to use the track has not been given. Matters continue to rage.