In 1977, Toronto briefly found itself at the centre of international rock-and-roll headlines when Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was arrested at the Harbour Castle Westin Hotel.
Police raided Richards’ hotel room during the band’s stay in the city, leading to drug possession charges that carried the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence. The arrest quickly became one of the most widely publicized celebrity scandals of the era and drew intense media attention to Toronto.
The case would later become a defining moment in Richards’ life and career — and an unexpected chapter in the city’s music history.