The Who sack and then rehire their drummer, Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey

22 April 2025, 09:45

Zak Starkey was sacked by The Who after nearly 30 years with the band... but now he's back.

Following their March charity concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, legendary band The Who appeared to have severed ties with drummer Zak Starkey.

The decision seemed to have ended Zak's nearly three-decade stint with the group as representatives confirmed that the separation was reached by "collective decision".

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Starkey, son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, had occupied the drummer's seat since joining The Who's Quadrophenia tour in 1996.

"They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future," the band's spokesperson stated, while Starkey's camp characterised the split as a "typical rock'n'roll falling out" where "healing can take time".

His representative emphasised Starkey's credentials, noting he ranks among "the UK's greatest drummers" and was personally mentored by Keith Moon, The Who's original drummer.

But after just a few days, relationships were smoothed over and a post on The Who's official website read: "News Flash! Who Back Zak!"

A post from Pete Townshend explained that while there were some professional issues between the band and their drummer, they had now been resolved and Zak was "not being asked to step down from The Who".

"There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily," Pete said.

The Who, Isobel Griffiths Orchestra - Baba O’Riley (Live At Wembley, UK / 2019)

"Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed.

"I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!

"Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with."

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He added: "Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.

"We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It's over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies

"As for Roger, fans can enjoy his forthcoming solo shows with his fabulous drummer, Scott Devours, who it was rumoured might replace Zak in The Who and has always been supportive of the band.

"I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug."

Signs of discord had during the March 30 performance when, according to Metro, frontman Roger Daltrey publicly voiced frustration about Starkey's playing volume.

"All I've got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can't sing to that," Daltrey reportedly told concertgoers during the show.

In what appeared to be anticipation of his dismissal, Starkey posted a cryptic Instagram message on April 13 referencing "Toger Daktrey" [sic] bringing "formal charges of overplaying" against "Zak the drummer". The post has since been deleted.

The 59-year-old musician has had plenty of experience with tempestuous bands, having been the touring drummer in Oasis between 2004 and 2008, before being replaced by Chris Sharrock.

Zak, who currently performs with Mantra of the Cosmos, had recently experienced health challenges, suffering a blood clot in his leg earlier this year in January.

Starkey will not be returning Oasis for their sellout Oasis 25 tour dates, with top session man Joey Waronker instead joining up with the Gallagher brothers for the first time.