Zak Starkey says Roger Daltrey told him he was "retired" not "fired" from the band

28 May 2025, 09:30 | Updated: 11 June 2025, 12:44

The Who's Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey and drummer Zak Starkey. Picture: Press, dpa picture alliance / Alamy

The Who announced the departure of Zak Starkey in May, but the plot seems to keep on unravelling when it calls to the drummer. Get the latest below.

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The Who let go of their drummer Zak Starkey for the 'second time' in a month in May 2025.

The sticksman and son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr took to Instagram to share his side of the story after it seemed that he had voluntarily stepped down from the band.

While it's not clear exactly what has happened between Starkey and the My Generation icons, one thing is for certain: the veteran rockers - comprised of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend - have decided to move on.

So what happened between The Who and Zak Starkey and why is the drummer not in the band anymore?

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Did The Who fired Zak Starkey?

The Who appear to have fired their touring drummer and the son of The Beatles Ringo Starr for the second time in a month just ahead of their US farewell tour dates.

It all began when there were reports of The Who parting ways with their sticksman since 1995 last month, but after Zak denied he'd stepped down from the band, the band walked back the initial reports.

On 19th April, the band shared a press release assuring fans that Starkey is "not being asked to step down from The Who."

They went on: "There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily."

However, less than a month later and Starkey appears to be persona non grata. A message issued on The Who's official Instagram, which was over-layed on an image of guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend on Sunday 18th May, read: "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."

It went on: "Scott Devours who has worked with Roger's solo band will join The Who for our Final shows.

"Please welcome him."

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Did Zak Starkey quit The Who?

After The Who released a statement parting ways with Zak Starkey, it raised more than a few eyebrows, especially with the drummer himself, who took to his own Instagram to argue that he has not quit The Who, but was actually asked to say he'd stepped down from the band.

Resharing The Who's image announcement and adding his own text over the top, the Mantra of the Cosmos rocker wrote: "I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours (sic)".

Starkey went on to maintain that he had not and would never quit the band and had mentioned those who stuck up for him during difficult times and "mayhem".

He continued: "This would be a lie. 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 (sic)".

The drummer went onto talk about several projects he'd had throughout the years and argued that it had never interfered with his work drumming with the Baba O'Riley rockers.

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

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If that wasn't confusing enough, the drummer took to Instagram on 26th May saying he'd had a long and amicable chat with The Who frontman, who had told him he had not been "fired" from the band, but "retired" to work on his own projects.

His Instagram post, began: "NOISE&CONFUSION!!!! I had a great phone chat with Roger at the end of last week which truly confused both of us!!!"

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He continued: "Rog said I hadn’t been ‘fired’…I had been ‘retired’ to work n my own projects. I explained to Rog that I have just spent nearly 8 weeks at my studio in Jamaica completing these projects, that my group Mantra Of The Cosmos was releasing one single at the beginning of June and after that had run its course ( usually 5/6 weeks ) I was completely available for the foreseeable future….Rog said ‘Oh!’ and we kind of left it there- On good terms and great friends as we have always been."

The Mantra of the Cosmos sticksman concluded: "Gotta love these guys. As my mum used to say ‘The mind boggles!!!’ XXX"

Who's replacing Zak Starkey in The Who?

Zak Starkey will be replaced with Scott Devours on The Who's final North American Tour. The sticksman previously accompanied The Who frontman Roger Daltrey on his solo dates, so will no doubt make a smooth transition into the band.

Scott Devours joins Roger Daltrey in 2024. Picture: © K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire/ Alamy

Devours - who played for post-grunge band Oleander - has recorded, performed, and toured with a number of well-known artists and has opened for the likes of The White Stripes, Jane's Addiction, Durn Duran, Beastie Boys, Stone Temple Pilots, Creed and more.

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The Who's The Song Is Over North American farewell dates will kick off at Florida's Amerant Bank Arena at 16th August and will include a show at New York's Madison Square Garden, before coming to a close at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 28th September.

Speaking of the news, songsmith and guitarist Townshend said: “Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans. I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.”