Well, that came out of nowhere—at least for most fans. Multiple outlets are now reporting that Zak Starkey, The Who’s longtime drummer and son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr, has been let go from the band. While there's been no official word from Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, or The Who’s management, the rumor mill is churning fast.
Starkey has been a fixture behind the kit since the mid-1990s, earning high praise for channeling the explosive energy of original drummer Keith Moon while adding his own tight, expressive style. He followed in the footsteps of Moon and Kenney Jones, firmly cementing his place as a key part of the band’s modern incarnation.
The supposed falling out reportedly stems from an incident during The Who’s recent Royal Albert Hall show for the Teenage Cancer Trust, where Daltrey publicly complained onstage that the drums were too loud, saying he couldn't hear the rest of the band.
Some anonymous sources quoted by the media outlets reporting on the matter suggest that the erstwhile Oasis drummer's recent performances were considered sub-par. Notably, Starkey recently suffered a blood clot in his leg, which led to the cancellation of a London gig with his supergroup, Mantra of the Cosmos—a band he formed in 2023 alongside Shaun Ryder and Bez of Happy Mondays, and Andy Bell of Oasis and Ride.
Starkey weighed in with a recent instagram post—playful on the surface, but it leaves little doubt about the issue at hand and its fallout.
Daltrey, increasingly prickly in recent years, may have sparked more than just a live sound gripe. Let's not forget that the vocalist was instrumental in the firing of long-serving keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick and his subsequent replacement by a member of his solo band, for purely financial reasons...
For a deeper dive into the group’s current live setup—and the technical challenges they’re facing—keyboardist and tour tech Brian Kehew’s Backstage Blog offers some fascinating context.
Until there’s official confirmation, chalk it up as conjecture—but fans are already mourning what could be the end of an era.
