Ringo Starr’s Son Zak Starkey Lashes Out After Reportedly Contentious Departure From ‘The Who’

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, lashed out after The Who issued a release claiming he left the band to pursue his own music weeks after reportedly firing him over his performance.

The legendary rock band issued a statement Sunday on Instagram saying they had parted ways with Starkey for the second time in a month.

“After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best,” The Who wrote.

Starkey took to his official Instagram page to issue allegations against the band. “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endeavours this would be a lie,” he wrote. “I love the who and would never had quit.”

“So I didn’t make the statement ….quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox,’” he claimed.

While Pete Townshend, The Who’s guitarist and lead songwriter, suggested that the split was mutual in his statement, Starkey claimed otherwise.

“To clarify ‘other projects’ yes I do have other projects and always have. The Who have been sporadic or minimalist in touring most years apart from a two extensive tours in 2000 and 2006/7,” he wrote in his statement.

Starkey listed a number of dates and events that coincided with one another, seemingly in an effort to demonstrate that his solo pursuits were a regular occurrence and had never been in issue in the past.

“As u see there has always been time for other projects,” he wrote on Instagram

“None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them . The lie is or would have been that I quit the who- i didn’t. I love the who and everyone in it,” Starkey claimed.

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 29: Touring drummer Zak Starkey of The Who performs on the first night of the band’s residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on July 29, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Starkey has performed with The Who since 1996 and was first fired from the band in April after band members were reportedly not pleased with his performance during a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Townshend reversed the decision and welcomed him days later.

Starkey’s exit from The Who comes three months prior to the start of the legendary rock band’s farewell North American tour. (RELATED: Country Music Star Alan Jackson Retires After Three Decades In Music)

The band’s Instagram page notes that Scott Devours will take Starkey’s place on the upcoming tour.