The entrepreneur said the Rolling Stones guitarist was staying at his recording studio near Oxford when a man knocked on the door with a gun, claiming Richards was sleeping with his wife
Sir Richard Branson has revealed that he once saved Keith Richards’ life from a gun-wielding angry husband.
The entrepreneur said the Rolling Stones guitarist was staying at his recording studio near Oxford when a man knocked on the door with a gun, claiming Richards was sleeping with his wife.
Branson told the man that Richards was not there, despite being able to see him naked with the man’s wife “running across the garden”.
The Virgin Records legend told the Rockonteurs podcast that he allowed the man to search the house, and eventually he went away.
Richards has been married to Patti Hansen since 1983.
Branson said: “In those days, if you were a rock artist, you had to go into Pi Studios. You would have a session. A three-hour session.
“A man would do a three hours, and then you would do three hours, and they would never be open all night or at nighttime.
“So we thought, let’s get a country studio going where rock musicians like to record all night and sleep all day.
“And so Tom and I went looking, and we found this old, beaten-down manor house near Oxford.
“And the manor was born. And we equipped the Squash Club as the first sort of 16-track country recording studio.
“One good manor story was there was a big bang on the front door of the manor and I went to open the door and there was this very large dude with a gun.
“And as you know, people don’t have guns in England by and large.
“And so I said, what’s up? And he said, I’ve come to kill Keith Richards. So I said what do you mean you’ve come to kill Keith Richards.
“He said, he’s in your house with my wife. So I said, look, I was trying to think what to say.
“And then as I was dithering I saw a naked Keith Richards and a naked wife running across the lawn behind him.
“So I went look, I promise you, Keith Richards is not here with your wife.
“Put the gun down, come and have a look, search the house and then please go peacefully. So he went and he searched the house and left.
“And then a while later, Keith Richards came back without the wife.”
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