ROLLING STONES LEGEND KEITH RICHARDS WILL TOUR IN WHEELCHAIR

Keith Richards says he'll keep on rocking even if he ends up touring "in a wheelchair". The Rolling Stones guitarist, 63, is excited by the number of young fans who come to the band's concerts, even though many weren't even born when the group first shot to fame in the 60s.He said: "It's quite amazing to see people come with their grandchildren,but at the same time very heart warming. I don't know quite what it is but it must be something about the music."I've seen 12-year-old guitar freaks down the front who are now in bands and working. It's kind of an inspirational thing in a way to pass it on. "I'll keep on going. I'll do it in my wheelchair." The band's enduring popularity was proved by a 30-mile traffic jam caused by 33,000 fans attending the first show of their 30-date European tour in Werchter, Belgium, on Tuesday. Front man Sir Mick Jagger believes the band prepare for their mammoth tours like professional athletes. He said: "All the time you're building up and in that way it's akin to sports because you're working up - you practice, you run about, you play the song, you rehearse, but the actual thing's only two hours and then it's over."

STONE KEITH RICHARDS BURIES HIS MOM

Keith Richards attended his mother's funeral yesterday.The Rolling Stones guitarist said his final goodbye to his mother Doris Richards - who died aged 91 on April 21 - at Sussex's Chichester crematorium. Keith, who kept a bedside vigil until his beloved mom lost her battle with cancer last month, was comforted by family and fellow bandmate Ronnie Wood during the service. Doris separated from Keith's father Bert - who passed away in 2002 aged 84 - in 1962. Before her death she had been living with the rocker's stepfather William in Kent. Doris fell ill around the same time Keith, 63, underwent brain surgery after falling out of a tree in Fiji last year. Doris was responsible for buying her son his first guitar on his 15th birthday, setting him on the path to rock 'n' roll success. Her father, Gus Dupree, toured the UK as a jazz musician and gave grandson Keith his earliest guitar lessons.

KEITH RICHARDS KICKS RON WOOD !

Keith Richards does not like bandmate Ronnie Wood's newfound sobriety. Wood, 59, claims that his recent attempts at clean living annoyed fellow Rolling Stone Richards so much that he kicked him on stage. He is quoted by Britain's Daily Express newspaper as saying: "He doesn'tl ike it that I'm sober now. I'm glad we're off tour. Being on stage in my new sober way is very difficult for me. Keith even kicked me on stage. It was bleeding in the muscle. I didn't realise until I couldn't walk." Wood says Richards called it a "friendly kick" before apologising. Richards, who is still rebellious at the age of 63, recently joked that he snorted his own fathers cremated ashes, leading Disney to ban him from doing any publicity for his role in the third 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie. Wood has now been sober for several months after a stint in rehab last year, even though he admits he finds touring "boring" without booze. But despitethe complaints from Richards fellow band members Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts have encouraged Wood's sobriety attempts.The Rolling Stones begin a 30 date European tour in June. As well as touring with the legendary rockers Wood is also a critically acclaimed artist whose paintings command as much as $126,000.

KEITH RICHARDS SPEAKS ABOUT FATHER

Keith Richards reportedly will not promote the new 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie - after saying he snorted his dead dad's ashes. Concerned Walt Disney Studio bosses have decided the Rolling Stones guitarist is too unpredictable to promote 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'. Dennis Rice, Disney's senior vice president for publicity, said: "When (a senior Disney publicist) forwarded the ashes story to me, I thought, 'How are we going to spin this?'"Keith won't be doing a lot of publicity for this movie."Keith has a much-anticipated cameo as Teague Sparrow, the father of pirate Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. Meanwhile, Keith has insisted his comments about mixing cocaine with his late father's remains and sniffing them were a joke. Keith wrote on website www.rollingstones.com : "The complete story was lost in the usual slanting."The truth of the matter is that I planted a sturdy English oak tree. I took the lid off the box of ashes, and he is now growing oak trees and would love me for it!!! I was trying to say how tight Bert and I were. That tight!!! I wouldn't take cocaine at this point in my life unless I wished to commit suicide."Bernard Doherty, from LD Communications the PR company which represent the Rolling Stones, added: "It was an off-the-cuff remark, a joke, and it is not true. File under April Fool's joke." Keith told NME magazine the cremated remains of his father Bert, who died aged 84 in 2002, were the strangest thing he had ever snorted. He said: "The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father."He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared, he didn't give a s**t. It went down pretty well and I'm still alive."