Ringo Starr Had the Most Ringo-Like Response to a Near-Death Experience in Mexico
When The Beatles added Ringo Starr as their drummer, the perception was he was just along for the ride. Even though he copied another song for his only Beatles drum solo, Ringo was hardly a passenger on the Fab Four’s flight to fame. However, he was along for the ride on a plane that nearly crashed, and Ringo had the most Ringo-like response to his near-death situation.
Ringo Starr always possessed a down-to-earth attitude in The Beatles
He possessed prodigious drumming skills (he is in a hall of fame the other Beatles will never join), but Ringo’s attitude was another key ingredient for the Fab Four.
The timekeeper sometimes acted as a buffer between John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Ringo developed close bonds with his bandmates. He moved in with George when The Beatles first relocated to London. He only roomed with Paul on tour. Ringo became neighbors with John after the drummer moved out of his London apartment and later bought one of his houses. Those close friendships and his ingrained down-to-earth attitude helped The Beatles handle fame in a way that kept them from ending up like Elvis Presley.
One musician said Ringo was the most approachable Beatle since he was so casual. Ringo’s happy-go-lucky attitude shined through when he had the most Ringo-like reaction to a near-death situation.
Ringo had a zen-like Ringo comment during a near-death experience when his plane almost crashed in Mexico
One Beatles concert included death threats against Ringo, police sharpshooters in the arena, and armored law enforcement officers meant to protect the drummer. The timekeeper joked when he saw the armored police officers during the show, and he channeled a zen attitude when he faced a potential near-death situation years later.
Ringo grew bored of seeing Mayan ruins during a Mexican vacation in the spring of 1977. His girlfriend at the time, Nancy Andrews, chartered a single-engine plane for the city of Merida, Mexico, for her, her friend, Susin Fair, Ringo, and his friend Hilary Gerrard, writes Michael Seth Starr in With a Little Help.
The plane struggled to handle four peoples’ luggage and the brewing tropical storm in its path. It skimmed the tops of trees in the jungle on its way to Merida. The other three passengers panicked, but Ringo had the most Ringo-like response that channeled his laid-back, zen attitude:
“Don’t worry, it’s not my time to go, so we’ll all be fine.”
Ringo Starr’s comment during a near-death experience on an airplane
Ringo hardly bristled when death threats poured in before a concert. Fellow rockers recognized him as the most easygoing Beatle. His casual remark to what could have been a near-death experience was the most Ringo-like response possible.
The drummer faced life-threatening situations during his childhood
Ringo faced death in Mexico in 1977. It wasn’t the first time his life was in question. Paul said Ringo had the most difficult upbringing of all the Beatles. They all experienced hardships (Paul and John’s mothers died), but he believed Ringo had it the worst.
The drummer battled peritonitis and tuberculosis as a child, which kept him in the hospital for months and even years on end. Given that he saw the inside of plenty of hospitals as a child, it’s no wonder Ringo came to dread them. In addition to his illnesses, Ringo’s mother was a single mom who worked herself to the bone to make ends meet.
Ringo maintained a positive outlook in his life despite those childhood hardships. It might be why he could remain calm and deliver the most Ringo-like response to his near-death situation in Mexico in 1977.
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