Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi has spoken on the topic of rockstar's mortality in a new interview with Scotland's Herald. Addressing Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones specifically, Iommi admitted he's surprised that the rock star is still alive.

"I've seen so many of my friends or people in the business who have done drugs and whatever else and died, from John Bonham onwards," he said. "John was a good friend. I've seen other friends go a similar way through drugs and alcohol abuse."

He added, "You get lonely. You get bored in the hotel so you try to find something to do to be somewhere else. We saw it with Lemmy. He was the epitome of rock and roll. He was the one who would burn the candle at both ends all the time, but at some point, you've got to look at it and say, 'I can't do that anymore.'… Even with [74-year-old] Keith Richards, I'm amazed he's still pottering on. I take my hat off to him."

Speaking on his daily routine, Iommi said he tries as healthy a lifestyle as possible. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2011, and battled it until 2016 when it went into remission. "I get up at 6:15 am – which is very unlike me – and I have a regime of having my breakfast, taking the dog out, then I’ll play guitar for a while. The time just flies by. I’ve got a life now like everybody else. I have to be careful. I go to bed at a sensible hour. I have to anyway – I fall asleep if it’s late and I’m sitting down.”

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