The son of legendary Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Zak Starkey followed in his father’s footsteps from an early age. Just 8 years old when he began teaching himself to play drums, Starkey, now 59, was performing in pubs four years later. In 1996, he joined another British rock phenomenon, The Who, and toured with them for nearly 30 years. However, Starkey’s three-decade stint with the band recently came to an abrupt end after two shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Now, the longtime drummer is speaking out about the split.
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Zak Starkey Expresses Surprise, Sadness After Parting Ways With The Who
Earlier today (Wednesday, April 15), news broke that The Who had axed longtime drummer Zak Starkey. Speaking to The Guardian, a representative said that founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend had made a “collective decision” with the rest of the band to fire Starkey.
The representative suggested that Starkey’s performance during last month’s Royal Albert Hall gig contributed to the split.
29 years of service, and The Who have kicked Zak Starkey to the kerb. Shit behaviour.
— Paul McCluskey (@pgmccluskey) April 15, 2025
In a statement issued to Rolling Stone, the longtime drummer expressed remorse for his now-former bandmates’ decision.
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“After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do?” Starkey wrote. He added that he suffered from blood clots in his right bass drum calf in January, seeming to allude to that as a contributing factor to his firing.
“This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running,” Starkey wrote.
Here’s What (Likely) Happened
Back in March, Zak Starkey joined The Who onstage for the band’s annual performance series at London’s Royal Albert Hall. According to a review published in the Metro, a frustrated Roger Daltrey halted the show to complain that he couldn’t hear himself sing over the noise of Starkey’s playing.
“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t,” the frontman said. “All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry, guys.’”
While understandably disappointed, Starkey says he remains The Who’s “biggest fan.”
“Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best,” he wrote.
Featured image by Dave Benett/Getty Images
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