Zak Starkey has suffered a major blow, being fired from The Who after joining as their full time drummer in 1996. Considering his hugely successful career and birth into rock royalty, it’s surprising his name hasn’t always been in the headlines – but he’s had plenty of ups and downs behind the scenes.
Multi-instrumentalist Zak, 59, is the first child of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his first wife Maureen Cox. He had an illustrious childhood, growing up around major stars while enjoying private education and a home in a gated community in Surrey.
Zak went on to grow his own family, marrying his second wife Sharna Liguz – better known a Sshh – in 2022, the year after they welcomed their daughter Luna Lee Lightnin.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly for the talented performer until this month, when Zak was booted from The Who following their two shows at the Royal Albert Hall at the end of March. Zak – who spent much of his childhood with The Who’s original drummer Keith Moon – admitted to being “surprised and saddened” by the sudden break, which followed a few months of instability.
Back in January, Zak experienced a terrifying health scare that forced him to drop out of a gig with Mantra of the Cosmos, which he and Sshh formed. The band, which counts Oasis and Ride guitarist Andy Bell alongside Happy Mondays stars Shaun Ryder and Bez as its core members, was due to perform a secret set in Soho, London, when Zak was rushed for medical attention.
Just hours before he was due on stage, doctors found multiple blood clots in his leg, and was placed on a two-week course of blood thinners alongside being ordered to immediate bed rest.
Zak has addressed his health issues, and blasted the idea that they had anything to do with his firing from The Who. In a statement provided to the Rolling Stone, he emphasised: “In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.”
The news of his departure from The Who has been gutting for Zak, who refers to the band as his “family” and drummer Moon – who died of an overdose in 1978 – as his “uncle”.
Moon is known as one of the greatest drummers in history, but also one of the wildest. “He was one of my dad’s best friends. When my brother, sister, and I used to stay with my dad there, we would occasionally spend a few days at Keith’s house. Keith was the babysitter. We would just hang out and talk about anything, really–girls, surfing, bands, drums. He was a really fantastic guy to hang out with,” Zak said of his impact during a chat with the Modern Drummer.
Unfortunately, it seems that Zak may have inherited more than just his drumming skills from his uncle in everything but blood. Moon got Zak his first-ever drum kit when he was a boy, which Zak tragically went on to sell in 1992 when he was 26.
The kit went for £12,000 at Sotheby’s, and Zak admitted that he needed the money because he found himself trapped in a corner with financial and drug issues. “I wish I’d never sold it, but, at the time, I owed some drug dealers and the taxman a lot of money,” he told Hi-Fi Plus.
Prior to his marriage to Sshh, the drummer was married to Sarah Menikides from 1985 to 2021. Zak was just 19 when he first tied the knot, and by this point was reportedly already deeply embroiled in the drug world.
According to an anonymous source, “When [Sarah] met him about three years ago, Zak was drinking heavily and doing drugs, and Ringo was disgusted with him, and not even speaking to him.
“But, Sarah sort of reached him. She laid down the law about drugs and drinking – drugs are out, and alcohol is limited. She’s threatened to leave him if he goes back to his old hell-raising ways. The other good thing to come out of the relationship is that Zak is now back on good terms with his dad.”
Unlike his second wedding – which saw stars such as Liam Gallagher and Johnny Marr descend on a huge Hollywood ceremony – the first was secretly held at a London registry office. “Ringo didn’t go to the wedding, because Zak wanted to avoid publicity. But he did hold the reception for them afterwards at his mansion,” the source added of Zak’s teen nuptials.
Things clearly changed for Zak later in life, and he can count working with major groups such as Oasis and The Lightning Seeds into his impressive CV. The star also has a label that he runs with Sshh, Trojan Jamaica, which they set up shortly before moving to the island nation.
“Jamaica is the most productive musical country I’ve ever been to. It’s second to none, in fact. The other great thing about it is everyone’s really f*****g happy. There’s no pressure. It flows, “ he told Rock Cellar Magazine. He and Sshh moved there in 2017 after being invited to play in Jamaica the year before, and ended up staying in tropical bliss for three years while also cranking out plenty of music.
And, it seems things might be on the up for Zak despite his very public firing. The long-awaited Oasis reunion tour is kicking off this summer, and they’re said to have their eye on Zak to return to the fold as their drummer.
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