Ringo Starr: How Many Times Has The Beatles’ Drummer Been Married?
Former Beatle Ringo Starr was for many decades one of the most pursued famous young men in the world.
The artist sang some of the greatest love songs of all time with the other members of the Fab Four. Starr, whose real name is Richard Starkey, has also found love to last a lifetime.
Ringo Starr just turned 80
Starr is the oldest of The Beatles and celebrated his 80th birthday on July 7, 2020.
John Lennon would have turned 80 in October 2020, Paul McCartney celebrated his 78th birthday in June 2020 and George Harrison, the youngest, would have observed his 77th birthday in February, 2020.
The Liverpool native usually likes to throw an immense party to commemorate his special day. Times being what they are during the current pandemic, Starr has asked for a little remote help from his friends to observe his birthday.
The BBC reported in July 2020 that the former Beatle “will put on a virtual charity concert on YouTube called Ringo’s Big Birthday Show. He’ll be joined by Sir Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr. and Sheila E to benefit Black Lives Matter, The David Lynch Foundation, MusiCares and WaterAid.”
Ringo Starr wasn’t a bachelor for long
Once The Beatles made their arrival to the United States, all four of the moptops were constantly being pursued by young women. One woman who caught Starr’s eye early on, before Beatlemania swept over the globe, was local girl Maureen Cox.
In a 1988 interview with French magazine, Le Chroniqueur, Cox, also from Liverpool, England, reminisced about meeting Starr, much before The Beatles took off in their fame.
“I first met [Starr] at the Cavern,” Maureen recalled. “I was dating Johnny Guitar at the time in the Hurricanes and Richie was just the drummer at the time. I don’t remember when he first asked me out on a date, but he did just after he left The Hurricanes and joined The Beatles. Here I was a silly sixteen-year-old hairdresser dating the most popular drummer in Liverpool. . . After a couple of months, I began to realize that I was infatuated with him.”
The pair were married in 1965 and remained together until their divorce ten years later. They had three children: daughter Lee Starkey and sons Jason Starkey and Zak Starkey, the latter serving as drummer for The Who, on and off, since 1994.
Maureen died in 1994 of leukemia.
Starr remarried in 1981
Ringo and Barbara got to know one another on the set of the film Caveman in 1980. The two married in 1981 and Starr recalled with Extra about the first time he laid eyes on his future wife.
“I went to LAX to check in on a plane to go to Mexico,” Ringo recollected, “and Barbara was on the other side of the counter… and I fell in love with her.”
Ringo’s marriage to Barbara was his second, and last one. The two are practicing vegetarians and will be celebrating their fortieth anniversary in 2021.
