Ringo Starr called Roger Daltrey ‘that little man’ after his son Zak was sacked from the Who due to a little dispute

Zak Starkey, longtime drummer for The Who and son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr, has shed new light on his abrupt and controversial departure from the legendary British rock band—revealing both the behind-the-scenes turmoil and his father’s fiercely protective response.

According to Starkey, the end came in two stages. After initially being fired over a performance issue, Starkey was reinstated just three days later following a public apology to frontman Roger Daltrey. Encouraged by The Who’s guitarist Pete Townshend, Starkey had taken to social media to acknowledge that he had “dropped a few beats” during a show, in a gesture of accountability meant to smooth tensions. Townshend defended Daltrey in the incident, saying the singer “did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors,” and added that Starkey had “made a few mistakes” and had taken responsibility for them.

But the temporary reprieve didn’t last.

Only ten days after his return, Starkey says he was informed that the reinstatement “was never going to work,” and was encouraged to issue a statement suggesting he was leaving of his own volition. “It was painful,” he told Rolling Stone, adding that the situation felt more like scapegoating than justice.

What made the ordeal even more difficult for Starkey was that he could not identify the mistakes he was said to have made. He claimed that concert footage showed the real issue had been a timing miscue—caused not by him, but by Daltrey entering “four bars early” due to problems hearing the piano. “He blamed it on the drums being too loud and then it got made into this huge social media thing,” Starkey explained.

The controversy stirred up more than just band drama—it also drew an uncharacteristically pointed reaction from Ringo Starr. When Zak told his father about the final firing, Starr reportedly fumed, referring to Daltrey as “that little man” and expressing disbelief at how his son had been treated. “My dad was furious,” Starkey said. “He said, ‘That little man has the nerve to fire you after all these years?’ I was very proud of him for standing up for me.”

Starkey, who is also the godson of the Who’s original drummer Keith Moon, has been a staple of the band’s live performances since the mid-1990s. Known for his explosive style and faithful homage to Moon’s chaotic brilliance, he was widely regarded as a natural fit for The Who’s evolving legacy.

Despite the rocky end, Starkey maintains a sense of pride about his tenure and his handling of the situation. “I loved the music. I loved the fans. And I did my best every night,” he said. “But sometimes egos and misunderstandings take over. I still don’t believe I made a mistake, and the footage backs me up.”

As of now, neither Daltrey nor The Who’s camp has issued a formal comment on Starkey’s latest revelations. What remains, however, is the echo of an old band once again wrestling with the ghosts of rock-and-roll’s volatile past—and the reminder that, even in legendary circles, relationships can falter when the music stops syncing.