Drummer Zak Starkley Reveals Details Of Firing From The Who, Says He Refuses To ‘Lie’ About It

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Baila Eve ZismanMay 22, 2025, 11:49 pmHomepage Slider, News >

Zak Starkey, son of the famous Beatles member Ringo Starr, has been fired from rock band The Who for the second time in two months.

Starkley announced in April that he would be leaving the rock band after 29 years as their drummer, following a series of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Later that week, band member Pete Townshend announced that there were “some communication issues” in the band, and Starkley would be staying with the group.

The band is preparing to launch their final North American tour.

However, on May 18, The Who announced that Starkley would, in fact, be leaving. In a post to Instagram, Townshend wrote, “After many years of great work on drums from Zak, the time has come for a change. A poignant time.”

He added, “Zak has lots of new projects in hang, and I wish him the best,” and proceeded to announce, “Scott Devours, who has worked with Roger [Daltrey‘s] solo band, will join The Who for our final shows. Please welcome him.”

Quickly following this announcement from Townshend and the band’s Instagram account, Starkley took to social media to share his side of the story.

“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavors,” he said. “This would be a lie.”

He elaborated, “I love The Who and would never have quit. So I didn’t make the statement. Quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) through the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in and out and in and out and in and out like a bleeding squeezebox.”

Starkley continued, “To clarify ‘other projects, ’ yes, I do have other projects and always have. The Who have been sporadic or minimalist in touring most years, apart from two extensive tours in 2000 and 2006/7.”

After offering a lengthy overview of his solo work throughout his time with The Who, Starkley wrote, “As u see there has always been time for other projects… None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them. The lie is or would have been that I quit The Who- I didn’t. I love the who and everyone in it.”

Starkley joined The Who as their full-time drummer for the Quadrophenia tour in 1996.