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The Who have let longtime drummer Zak Starkey go, again
Zak Starkey will not be joining The Who for their farewell tour of North America after he was fired for the second time in weeks.
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Zak Starkey’s exit interview may ruffle some feathers.
The Who drummer, reinstated into the iconic rock band after being fired in April 2025, revealed he was let go a second time in a May 18 Instagram post. This social media announcement came just before The Who revealed Starkey’s departure in its own post.
“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavors,” Starkey, 59, wrote. “This would be a lie.”
The Who shared in its May 18 announcement that musician Scott Devours, who previously worked with lead singer Roger Daltrey, would replace Starkey while he pursues other projects.
“The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20yrs younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects,” Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend wrote. “He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.”
USA TODAY has reached out to The Who for comment.
Alluding to the back-and-forth of his employment with The Who, Starkey said quitting the band “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.”
In mid-April, a representative for the band told multiple outlets, including Rolling Stone and The Guardian, that The Who “made a collective decision to part ways with” Starkey after a round of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. According to Metro, Daltrey expressed frustration onstage during the show, saying he was having difficulty hearing because “all I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that.”
In his statement to Rolling Stone, Starkey expressed surprise at his firing and indicated it was sparked by his Royal Albert Hall performance. Starkey, who joined The Who in 1996, also shared that he suffered a “serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf” in January, though he said the ailment later healed.
But the band reversed course in an April 19 statement on The Who’s website, which stated that Starkey, son of Beatles alum Ringo Starr, was no longer “being asked to step down” from the band.
“There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily,” Townshend said. “Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral lineup and he has readily agreed.”
Townshend added that the situation surrounding Starkey’s firing “blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen,” and the band will “move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.” He also apologized for “not crushing” a rumor that Devours would replace Starkey.
The Who is set to embark on a North American farewell tour titled The Song Is Over. The 16-show outing will kick off Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
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