5 Friendships In Rock 'N' Roll History That Stood The Test Of Time

The rock 'n' roll lifestyle is famously unstable. Despite countless budding musicians dreaming of being rock gods, in many cases those dreams become shattered as the relationships that were the bedrock of bands are shredded by financial disputes, rampant hedonism, and clashing egos. But thankfully that's not the way it always goes. In some rare cases, musicians have managed to ascend to the pantheon of rock music greats and stay there — and some have even stayed friends.

Here, then, are five rock and roll partnerships that have shown themselves to be truly timeless. These bonds have all transcended changing musical trends and the ravages of age, while some have survived the end of the groups that made them famous and tragic deaths. Indeed, in some cases they are emblematic of how at the end of the day an ideal working relationship is also a true friendship.

As the core two members of The Rolling Stones for more than six decades, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been with each other through thick and thin to emerge in the 2020s as rock's great survivors. Despite the band's fabled hedonism and Richards' addiction issues — which he has discussed openly, most notably in his book, "Life" — the two have continued to write and record music and tour widely. The pair's latest album with The Rolling Stones, "Hackney Diamonds," was released in 2023, while the band has toured the world as recently as 2024.

Jagger and Richards first met as schoolmates but truly connected at a London train station, quickly bonding over their shared love of blues music. In 1962, they formed The Rolling Stones. They quickly became one of the most famous upcoming bands of the early '60s and broke into the American market as part of the British Invasion, hitting their commercial peak at the end of the decade.

They have remained icons ever since, but as Richards laid bare in his book, the two have not always seen eye-to-eye. Notably, Jagger's handling of the band's business affairs has left Richards feeling excluded. However, following the publication of the book itself, Jagger and Richards' relationship has reportedly improved enormously, and their bond as they enter their 80s really is something to behold.

For British rock icon David Bowie, arguably the most important relationship he had during his lifetime from a music standpoint was with his longtime producer, Tony Visconti. Visconti has described how he first came to meet Bowie in the late 1960s via Bowie's publisher, when the producer was fresh from working with Marc Bolan of T. Rex — one of Bowie's biggest influences — and the latter was still trying to find his voice.

The two hit it off instantly, and Visconti went on to produce Bowie's self-titled debut album — aka "Space Oddity" — and his 1970 follow-up "The Man Who Sold The World." He also produced "Young Americans" and the "Berlin Trilogy" of albums (1977's "Low" and "'Heroes,'" and 1979's "Lodger"), the 1978 live album "Stage," and the 1980 classic "Scary Monsters." After a break, he returned for 2002's "Heathen" and 2003's "Reality."

And it could have ended there, with Bowie seemingly retiring from the music industry due to ill health shortly after. But as the 2010s rolled around, Visconti and Bowie were back together for the surprise 2013 album "The Next Day" and 2016's "Blackstar," the acclaimed farewell released just two days before Bowie's death from cancer. As a close collaborator, Visconti was one of the few people in the world to know Bowie was sick. Days before his death, Bowie called Visconti to share the news he was due to become a grandfather. "Looking back a year I realize I was so fortunate I was with my band when the news [of Bowie's death] broke," Visconti told The Guardian. "If I was on my own I would have been totally devastated, totally."

AC/DC has proven to be one of rock and roll's most durable acts, surviving catastrophe and still operating as a touring unit well into 2026. The band formed way back in 1973, with guitar-playing brothers Angus and Malcolm Young at the epicenter of the band, along with original vocalist Bon Scott. Tragically, Scott died in 1980, but against the odds, the band continued with the recruitment of new vocalist Brian Johnson, who continues to perform with AC/DC to this day.

Replacing Scott might have been a daunting task, but after various auditions, Johnson stood apart. Noting how Johnson has the ability to scream like Scott, Angus Young told Guitar World in 2020: "I always said he sounds like somebody dropped a truck on his foot. And, like Bon, Brian had a good sense of humor."

The members of AC/DC don't take themselves particularly seriously, and they are far from gushing when it comes to sharing their feelings toward their bandmates. But the longevity of the relationship between Young and Johnson is plain to see. In 2016, they hit a rocky patch when Johnson began to suffer from hearing problems, leading to medical procedures that stopped him from touring, and he was replaced briefly by Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose. Fans might have thought Johnson's association with the band ended there. Yet despite some raw feelings about how unceremoniously he was dropped, he returned to the fold for the 2020 album "Power Up." "It just shows the resilience and the bond that exists between us," he said of the reunion (per The Guardian). "We walked into the studio, and you could feel the electricity in the air" 

The friendship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney began when they were teenagers and lasted until the former's tragic murder outside his New York City apartment at the age of 40 on December 8, 1980. During that quarter of a century, the two formed the most celebrated songwriting partnership of all time, propelling The Beatles to the status of the biggest band in the world. But by the end of the 1960s, the relationship was falling apart, with tensions throughout the members causing the band to officially break up in 1970.

Lennon and McCartney's camaraderie was plain to see throughout their time in The Beatles, and they later discussed the closeness between them in the early years of their songwriting partnership. But by the time the band split, relations between the pair had hit their nadir. The two sparred both in the press and on record, with McCartney's "Too Many People" and Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" full of barbs meant for each other.

However, the two did patch things up in the years before Lennon's death. One famous anecdote goes that Lennon and McCartney were watching "Saturday Night Live" when creator Lorne Michaels offered money for the two to reunite live on air, and they did for a moment consider making the journey to the studio. According to Forbes, Lennon's final words to McCartney were reportedly "Think about me every now and then, old friend," and he described his former partner as his brother in one of his final interviews. For his part, McCartney now includes a virtual duet of "I've Got A Feeling" with Lennon as part of his live shows, with his rendition during his 2022 Glastonbury especially moving.

The alchemy between the four members of Led Zeppelin — vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer Jon Bonham — was legendary. Many rock fans consider the band to be to the 1970s what The Beatles were to the 1960s in terms of their popularity and influence, and the group came to a tragic end in 1980 with Bonham's untimely death.

Plant was adamant that the band could not continue without Bonham, but nevertheless, his friendship with Page has endured down the years. Despite his misgivings about performing Zeppelin material as each of the members departed to pursue solo careers, he eventually reunited with Page in the mid-1990s, resulting in the well-received "No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded" album in 1994 and a follow-up, "Walking into Clarksdale," in 1998.

And the two have seemingly remained on good terms since, reforming Led Zeppelin — including Bonham's son, Jason — for a reunion show in 2007. As Plant told BBC Radio Wales in 2008 (via Music World), though they may not work as closely together, they maintain a mutual respect: "I still see Jimmy quite a lot and he's very complimentary and supportive of what I'm doing. But we are in different places now and you have to go on to do different things." In 2021, he reiterated their friendship, telling Mojo: "I've seen a lot more of Jimmy lately. We recently saw a friend of ours who's not doing so well, and it's like we were the brotherhood again. I'm looking for more events like that."