What Happened To Ringo Starr's Two Sons?

Ringo Starr is the former drummer of the most famous band in the world — The Beatles. Aside from the band, he has three children whom you may not know about. After marrying Maureen Cox in 1965, Ringo had three children, Zak Starkey, Jason Starkey, and Lee Starkey. But that relationship ended in divorce in 1975, with the three children going to live with Cox.

The apple didn't fall far from the tree for the two Starkey brothers, as they also pursued a drumming career. Jason, the middle child, joined several small bands, including Empire of Sponge and his older brother's short-lived band, Musty Jack Sponge and the Exploding Nudists.  Zak, the eldest child, had a more successful career, serving as the drummer of the Who for 29 years, and a tour drummer for Oasis.

Both brothers are married with children. Zak wed ​​Sarah Menikides in 1985 and their daughter, Tatia Jayne Starkey, was born that same year. They separated in 2006, though reports said Zak started dating his current wife, Sharna "Sshh" Liguz, in 2004. Liguz and Zak married in 2022, a year after their child, Luna Lee Lightnin, was born. Jason married Flora Evans, the co-founder of Superfine, in 2010 after years of dating. The couple shares four children, with the eldest born in 1999 and the youngest born in 2011.

Jason and Zak Starkey have a good relationship with their father, Ringo Starr, but the nepo babies have been open about their struggles with living in the shadows of The Beatles. The Independent reported in 1995 that Jason felt, "being Ringo's son is the biggest drag in my life. It's a total pain." Jason has since retreated from the spotlight, choosing family over fame.

In 2025, Zak told Jonathan Clarke on his Q1043 New York radio show that he wanted to distance himself from the band when he began his career as a musician. "When I was a kid, The Beatles were in my way," he said. "I was getting press attention, but they were only paying me attention, and they weren't paying the rest of the band attention. I got a bit resentful of this, and that sort of got me into a place where I sort of shunned The Beatles."

But Zak now praises his father, who is among stars still working today as a drummer. When asked about Barry Keoghan imitating Starr's drumming in an upcoming Beatles biopic, Zak told NME, "Nobody can play like my dad. Good luck to him, but he'll be the first guy who can pull it off. My dad's unique – the greatest rock'n'roll drummer in the world, still."