Sir Mick Jagger says he was shocked by the deaths of Prince and David Bowie

IN the past two years, Sir Mick Jagger has been stunned by the deaths of music giants such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Leonard Cohen, Glen Campbell, Tom Petty and George Michael.

But the loss of his friends, David Bowie and Prince, in 2016 were particularly painful.

In 1985, he recorded a duet with Bowie – the Motown classic, Dancing In The Streets – to raise money for Live Aid.

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

He said: “David’s death was a shock to me because I didn’t even know he was ill.

“A lot of these people were mates … so it’s sad to see them go. On a personal level, you can’t call them any more or hang out with them.”

In 1981, the Stones gave Prince his big break when they invited him to open their 1981 US tour. But the first show was a disaster when Prince strutted on stage wearing black bikini panties and thigh-length boots.

It proved a step too far for the macho Stones’ crowd who bottled him off stage and his set was abandoned after just four songs.

Sir Mick said: “Prince was a great favourite of mine. I always loved his music and he was an amazing stage performer. His death was really a shock as he wasn’t an old guy or anything – I always thought he was so healthy.

“He was such an energetic performer.”