The Rolling Stones have become embroiled in a legal dispute with an insurance company over the band postponing concerts in Australia and New Zealand after the March 2014 suicide of Mick Jagger's longtime companion L'Wren Scott, who was Mick Jagger's girlfriend since 2001.
The Associated Press reported on Nov. 9, 2014: "Jagger was 'diagnosed as suffering from acute traumatic stress disorder' after Scott's death and was advised by doctors not to perform for at least 30 days, according to documents filed in the court case in Utah. Before the tour, the group took out a $23.9 million policy to be paid in the event shows were canceled due to the death of family members or others, including Scott. In denying the claim, underwriters said Scott might have been suffering from a pre-existing mental illness and her death might not be covered under the policy."
The Rolling Stones filed a $12.7 million claim for this insurance policy. After underwriters denied the claim, "the Stones sued them in London," according to the Associated Press.
The Rolling Stones launched their "14 on Fire" tour on Feb. 21, 2014, at Du Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Scott committed suicide in her New York City apartment on March 17, 2014. She was found hanged from a doorknob. The Rolling Stones' "14 on Fire" tour of 2014 went on hiatus after Scott's death. The tour resumed in Oslo, Norway at Telenor Arena on May 26.
As previously reported, the Rolling Stones' "14 on Fire" tour dates in Australia and New Zealand were postponed because of Scott's death. The concerts in Australia and New Zealand were originally supposed to take place from March 19 to April 5, 2014. The Rolling Stones have since announced the rescheduled concerts in Australia and New Zealand for their "14 on Fire" tour.
Scott's brother Randall Bambrough, who lives in Utah (where he and Scott grew up with another sister), has been named as a witness for evidence of any mental illness Scott might have had. (Scott's real name was Laura Bambrough before she changed her name to L'Wren Scott.) According to the Associated Press, Bambrough "did not know about the federal court case naming him and had not received a subpoena to provide testimony and documents about his sister. He declined further comment. The Rolling Stones' Los Angeles public relations firm and the underwriters' Utah attorney did not respond to emails seeking comment."
The Associated Press also reported that other people who have been called to testify or give evidence in the case include Adam Glassman (the executor of Scott's estate) and Brittany Penebre, Scott's personal assistant who reportedly found Scott's dead body.
The Rolling Stones' rescheduled concerts in Australia have been affected by health problems. Lead singer Mick Jagger has a throat infection, so the Rolling Stones cancelled their concert at Hanging Rock in Macedon Ranges, Australia. The concert was to have taken place on Nov. 8, 2014. The Rolling Stones and tour promoter Frontier Touring made the announcement on their respective websites on Nov. 6, 2014.
On Oct. 25, 2014, the Rolling Stones launched the Australian leg of their "14 on Fire" tour, with a sold-out concert at the Oval Arena in Adelaide, Australia. The tour is expected to resume on Nov. 12, 2014, at the Allphones Arena in Sydney.
On Oct. 15, 2014, the Rolling Stones announced that their longtime saxophonist Bobby Keys will be unable to perform on the Australian/New Zealand leg of their "14 on Fire" tour due to undisclosed health reasons. Keys will be replaced by Karl Denson on the concert dates, which run from Oct. 25 to Nov. 22, 2014.
Keys has been recording and touring with the Rolling Stones since 1969, except for the Stones' 1976 tour. He is a close friend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards; the two men share the same birthday (Dec. 18, 1943).
On July 3, 2014, the Rolling Stones ended the European leg of their "14 on Fire" tour at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark.
Critics' reviews of the tour have been mostly positive.
Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, who was a special guest on the Rolling Stones' "50 and Counting" concerts in 2012 and 2013, has been a special guest on the Rolling Stones "14 on Fire" tour.
The Rolling Stones are reportedly contemplating touring South America in 2015. According to the Peruvian newspaper La Republica, the tour will likely go to Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile. The tour dates in South America have not yet been officially announced. The Rolling Stones previously performed in South America in February 2006, as part of the "A Bigger Bang" world tour.
