Mick Jagger Got in a Physical Fight With an Angry Ringo Starr Fan
In the 1960s, Mick Jagger moved in several doors down from The Beatles’ Ringo Starr. Jagger and Starr were members of two of the biggest bands of the era. Naturally, both of their presences drew fans. This became a problem for Jagger. When he and his girlfriend were leaving the house, a fan of Starr’s rushed forward and attacked.
Ringo Starr’s fans caused problems for Mick Jagger and his girlfriend
In the mid-1960s, Rolling Stones fans discovered that Jagger and Keith Richards were living together in Hampstead, an area in London. The constant presence of fans and the long-term relationships of both Jagger and Richards led them to decide it was time to move.
After bouncing around for a while, Jagger moved into the home of composer Lionel Bart. He moved in with his girlfriend, Chrissie Shrimpton.
Though Jagger had moved to avoid the hoards of fans gathered outside his Hampstead home, Bart’s flat didn’t provide much sanctuary. Per the book Mick Jagger by Philip Norman, Starr lived just a few doors down, and fans gathered outside every day. Once Rolling Stones fans learned Jagger was living there, they joined the Beatles fans.
On one occasion, Jagger and Shrimpton were leaving the home when one of Starr’s fans launched herself at Shrimpton. Jagger pulled her off his girlfriend and kicked at her to get her away.
“I was only wearing plimsolls, so I didn’t hurt her much,” he said. “In fact I got the worst of it because she gave me a few clouts.”
The Beatles’ drummer’s wife also had to dodge attacks from fans
Starr’s wife, Maureen Starkey, understood what Jagger and Shrimpton experienced. All of The Beatles’ partners had to dodge attacks from fans. People would approach them on the street, shout obscenities at them, and occasionally even try to hurt them. Fans even found out about the relationships when they tried to keep them secret.
“When Ringo started dating Maureen, she had to pretend she wasn’t seeing him,” Cynthia Lennon wrote in her book John. “One night she was waiting for him in the car outside a gig when a girl came up, put her hand through the window, and scratched her face.”
Starkey managed to get away, but the experience rattled her.
“She managed to lock the doors and wind up the window before the girl could do anything worse, but it shook her,” Cynthia wrote.
Ringo Starr attended Mick Jagger’s wedding in 1971
Jagger didn’t blame Starr for the way his fans behaved. The two musicians were friendly, and in 1971, Jagger invited Starr to his wedding. A chartered jet brought the wedding guests, Starr and Paul McCartney among them, to Nice, France. At the time, McCartney and Starr were in the midst of a legal battle and barely spoke.
“One of Paul’s daughters showed her mother a drawing she’d just done,” Rolling Stone reported. “Paul looked at it too and the drawing was handed over to Ringo. He smiled, but the waiting eyes and ears of the press were disappointed. This wasn’t going to be the reunion. They were just going to a wedding.”
According to many sources, the tension between Starr and McCartney was the least of the event’s problems. Jagger’s new wife, Bianca Jagger, told the New York Daily News in 1986 that she knew the marriage was over on the wedding day.
