“I Still Have to Work for a Living”: Zak Starkey Shuts Down the Beatles Money Myth
Zak Starkey has finally had enough of the assumptions. Despite being the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, the longtime Who drummer is pushing back hard against the persistent myth that he’s been living comfortably off Beatles money. In a candid response to ongoing speculation about his wealth, Starkey made it clear that reports of his fortune are wildly exaggerated — and that his life has been built on work, not inheritance.
“I still have to work for a living,” Starkey stated bluntly, dismantling the idea that he enjoys endless financial security simply because of his famous surname. While his father’s legacy is one of the most lucrative in music history, Starkey emphasized that Beatles royalties are not a shared family trust handed down to the next generation. Whatever Ringo Starr earned belongs to him, not automatically to his children.
Starkey’s career, in contrast, has been earned the hard way. Joining The Who in 1996, he stepped into one of the most demanding drum roles in rock history, replacing the legendary Keith Moon. For nearly three decades, Starkey has carried that responsibility on global tours and major recordings, proving himself not as a “Beatles kid,” but as a world-class drummer in his own right. His résumé also includes work with Oasis, Johnny Marr, and Paul Weller — credentials that stand independently of his family name.
The drummer also addressed renewed calls for a so-called “Beatles kids” supergroup, a recurring idea that resurfaces whenever the sons of Beatles members appear in public together. Starkey dismissed the concept outright, calling it a romantic fantasy rather than a reflection of reality. “We never lived the lives our fathers did,” he explained, noting that growing up in the shadow of the Beatles was nothing like experiencing the cultural explosion they created firsthand.
According to Starkey, the next generation inherited fame without context — scrutiny without the shared struggle that forged the original band. While their fathers built something revolutionary from obscurity, their children grew up navigating expectations, comparisons, and assumptions they never asked for. A collective band, he suggested, would only reduce them to surnames rather than musicians.
Ultimately, Starkey’s message is simple but powerful: legacy does not pay the bills, and talent still has to prove itself. His career stands as evidence that surviving in rock music — even with a famous last name — requires discipline, endurance, and constant work. Far from coasting on Beatles mythology, Zak Starkey has spent his life carving out a reputation that belongs to him alone.
In shutting down both the wealth myth and the “Beatles kids” fantasy, Starkey draws a clear line between inheritance and identity — reminding the world that legends may be born once, but musicians still have to earn their place, night after night, on stage.
