
The Who have officially parted ways with longtime drummer Zak Starkey following an incident at one of their 2025 Teenage Cancer Trust shows at the Royal Albert Hall at the end of March. On Tuesday 15 April, a statement was released on behalf of the band, which now only consists of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend as permanent members, that read “The band has made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best.”
Insiders quoted by The Daily Mirror claim that the split hasn’t been as amicable as the statement suggests, and Starkey himself made reference to tensions in an Instagram post on 12 April. The drummer joked that he was set for the “Zak”, and that “formal charges of overplaying” were set to be brought against him. The post also seemed to place the blame squarely on frontman Roger Daltrey. In an earlier Instagram post, Starkey shared a photograph of himself and guitarist Pete Townshend saying “What a guy”.
Starkey had been playing with The Who since 1996, when he joined them as part of the touring band for a live concert version of their 1973 album, ‘Quadrophenia’. During his 29-year stint, Starkey contributed to two studio albums, ‘Endless Wire’ and ‘Who’, and was described as being the best fit for the band after Keith Moon’s passing by both Daltrey and Townshend. Moon was friends with Starkey’s father, Ringo Starr, and was also Zak Starkey’s godfather, so he felt like a natural fit when he joined the group.
The split appears to have stemmed from an incident on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. During the show’s finale, Daltrey apparently stopped ‘The Song Is Over’ mid-performance, telling the band and the crowd “To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that.” This account of events was backed up by an X user, who said “Daltrey missed the key change and blamed it on the drums. Now he’s fired Zak Starkey.”
The abrupt separation has caused confusion, particularly given Starkey’s prominence in the band. At nearly three decades, the 59-year-old had been part of The Who for twice as long as Moon, becoming part of the furniture. Not only was the quick dismissal surprising, but so were the accusations of “overplaying”. The Who had a reputation for being one of the 60’s loudest and most rebellious bands, almost proto-punk, and Keith Moon once set off an explosive charge in his kick drum while recording a TV show in 1967.
No replacement has been named, and the rumour mill is relatively quiet. The band’s touring lineup has remained relatively stable, however they will need to find a replacement before their two shows in Italy this summer. Starkey will be kept busy with his group Mantra of the Cosmos, the supergroup featuring Shaun Ryder, Bez, and Andy Bell. The group played the Cavern Club earlier this year, and released a single co-written with Noel Gallagher.
Starkey was also the drummer alongside Gallagher in Oasis, playing with the band between 2004 and 2009. With less than 100 days until their reunion tour kicks off, fans are already speculating about whether we could see Starkey reunite with the band this summer.