British singer Rod Stewart, who conquered the world with his husky voice since the 1970s, turns 80 on Friday and says he has no intention of retiring.

The artist, known for titles such as "Da ya think I'm sexy?", has four concerts scheduled at the famous Caesars Palace in the U.S. city of Las Vegas, between March 21 and 31.

In late June, he will perform at the Glastonbury Festival in the southwest of England, where he was already headliner in 2002.

"I have no desire to retire," he wrote on Instagram at the end of 2024. "I love what I do and I do what I love. I'm fit, I have a bushy head of hair and I can run 100 meters in 18 seconds," added the singer, one of the artists who has sold the most records in the world (250 million).

Although he has no intention of abandoning his musical career, in November he announced his decision to suspend "major world tours" at the end of 2025, after his concerts in Europe and North America.

"Rod will keep singing until the day he falls. He loves what he does and his audience still loves him," Richard Houghton, who wrote a book about Faces, one of the bands he belonged to, told AFP.

His worldwide fame came with that song, "Da ya think I'm sexy?", released in 1978, from his ninth album "Blondes have more fun".

Passion for soccer

Since then, he has not stopped releasing albums, releasing the last of his albums, "Swing fever", in February 2024.

"He has arguably the most distinctive voice in rock music, with a raspy sound that is infused with soul and ryhthm and blues," Houghton explains. "You know it's Rod as soon as his voice comes out of your radio."

Roderick David Stewart, his full name, was born in London in the midst of World War II, the only one not born in Glasgow among the five siblings of a marriage of a Scotsman and an Englishwoman.

On the day of his birth, January 10, 1945, in the north of the British capital, there was an explosion of a German V2 missile. "I always thought I was very lucky to escape that bomb that fell next to my house," he said.

His paternal ancestry has made him a supporter of Celtic and the Scottish national team in soccer, his other great passion along with music.

His father wanted him to be a professional soccer player. In 1960 he had a trial with Brentford F.C., a London team that was in the third division at the time and is now in the English Premier League.

In his biography, Stewart confirmed that he was never called after the test. "Life as a musician is a lot easier because you can get drunk and make songs, and I couldn't do that being a footballer," he commented.

If at the age of 15 he tried out for Brentford, at the age of 14, in 1959, his father gave him a guitar.

Bohemian beginnings

Stewart took his first musical steps at the age of 20 with a folk singer, Wizz Jones. Together they toured Europe in 1965, sleeping under the bridges of the Seine in Paris.

In the 1970s, after having been between 1967 and 1969 in the group Jeff Beck, and then in Faces, between 1969 and 1975, he released some solo hits, such as "Sailing", "Tonight I'm yours" or "Baby Jane", before the famous "Da ya think I'm sexy?".

In total, he has released more than 50 albums, including studio, live and compilation recordings.

In addition to music, he became famous for his love affairs: he was married three times and has eight children.

The singer has ensured that his children, like his father did with him, inherited a passion for Celtic and the Scottish national team.

© Agence France-Presse Por Pablo SAN ROMAN