Inside Rod Stewart and Sting’s ‘extraordinary’ 1980s prank war

8 May 2025, 15:00

Rod Stewart and Sting reportedly feuded in the 80s - but it all seems to have been lighthearted fun! Picture: Getty

By Hannah Watkin

The former The Police frontman and the ‘Maggie May’ singer fanned the flames of an amusing rivalry during the 80s and 90s.

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Rod Stewart and Sting are two of music’s greatest stars and have shared the spotlight together several times.

But despite being completely capable of getting along, the two singers reportedly shared somewhat of a rivalry while at the height of their younger selves’ worldwide fame.

One hilarious example of this comes from a story Sting once told in 1989 to Q magazine reporter Paul Du Noyer about how he and Sir Rod once elaborately pranked each other for fun.

Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting - All For Love (Non-Film Version)

Asked about how it feels to sometimes be perceived as no fun by the media, Sting recalled how Rod once pranked him on a private plane.

“We had a plane in America, Rod had used it the night before for his gig, we took it over the next day,” the 'Message in a Bottle' singer set the scene.

“So I sit down at the table and there, very intricately carved, is: ‘Where’s your f***ing sense of humour, you miserable git ‘String’?’” he described.

“I see this and get the stewardess. ‘What’s this?’ She says: ‘I know, I’m sorry, I was going to explain, Rod Stewart did it yesterday.’

Rod Stewart - Forever Young (Official Video)

“I said: ‘A 50-year-old man sat here for half an hour and wrote me this message? I don’t believe it!’” Sting joked.

Amused by Rod’s juvenile prank, Sting decided he had to rise to the challenge and get his own back on his music rival.

“We had three days off in Los Angeles,” Sting said, describing his US tour from the time.

“I found out Rod was away playing in Reno one night, and flying back to his Bel Air estate after the gig. So I went to his house,” he continued.

On visiting, Sting learned that Rod’s estate was accessible via just one electric gate.

Sting was labelled by some as too serious in the 80s. Picture: Getty

“So I bought a big industrial chain, went up about 11.30 at night, and fastened the gate to the fence. There was no way you could open it up without arc-welding equipment,” he laughed.

“The security guards came, the dogs were barking, but they couldn’t get out! So I buzz off. Then Rod comes back from his gig and can’t get into his house for three hours...

“He knew exactly who’d done it, and there’s a call to my agent the next day: ‘I’m getting the police! I’m getting the FBI!’ Where’s his sense of humour? Ha ha! I sent a big bunch of flowers to him and [then girlfriend] Kelly the next day,” the ‘Every Breath You Take’ singer concluded.

Rod later recalled the pair’s prank war in a 2003 interview with The Mirror.

Rod Stewart and Kelly Emberg together in 1990. Picture: Getty

“We've had a bit of nonsense between each other but we're good mates. It's all fun,” he said.

The ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’ singer did admit he had had to call the police after Sting’s Beverly Hills prank, however: “As you do when you're chained in.”

Still, the two stars went on to work together on Bryan Adams’ ‘All for Love’ and most recently shared the spotlight as headliners at FireAid LA to raise money for those affected by January 2025’s wildfires in Los Angeles.