The Time Mick Jagger Dodged an Assassination Attempt from the Hells Angels

Musicians constantly ruffle the public’s feathers. Though, very rarely have they done it to the point where people have wanted them dead. John Lennon and Miley Cyrus are just some of the musicians who have been threatened, but one individual to add to the category is Mick Jagger. Also, the group proposing the threat is not one to mess with.

In 1969, Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, was the target for none other than the Hells Angels. Known for racketeering, murder, extortion, human trafficking, and countless other crimes. The motorcycle gang is one of the most prolific crime syndicates in the world. However, that seemingly didn’t stop Jagger from calling them out on their wicked misdeeds.

A Disagreement Turns Ugly

At the Rolling Stones free concert at the former speedway, Altamont, in Tracy, California, Hells Angels member Alan Passaro fatally stabbed an 18-year-old concertgoer, Meredith Hunter. Passaro’s charges were absolved given that Hunter pulled out a gun and fired off a shot prior to the stabbing. The Stones reportedly saw the whole interaction take place while on stage.

Subsequently, Jagger promised never to connect with the group in any way in the future. The story’s complication resides in Jagger’s connection to the group. Allegedly, Jagger and the Stones paid the group $500 and free beer to act as security at the event. However, this has never been confirmed as true. That said, it was Jagger’s denouncement of the reported relationship that caused the Angels to seek retaliation.

Mick Jagger’s Life Was Saved by a Storm

According to the BBC documentary about the assassination, Jagger was in his home in Long Island on holiday when the Angels planned to carry out the killing. “Going by boat as they gathered the weaponry and their forces, a storm rolled up which nearly sunk the watercraft,” FBI agent Mark Young stated in the documentary. Following this blown attempt, the Angels never planned another assassination on Jagger’s life.

A surprising factor in this story is that Jagger was seemingly unaware of the planned assassination. Furthermore, according to the Angel’s comment given to the FBI, the Angels “didn’t only fail in their mission, but they barely escaped with their lives when the boat capsized,” per The Week. Regardless of Jagger’s ignorance or the Angels’ near death, the attempt, if successful, would have changed the very fabric of music history. Mick Jagger already seemed immortal, though, this just bolsters that point even more.

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