Pete Townshend says Zak Starkey is still in The Who: “He’s not being asked to step down”

Pete Townshend has confirmed that Zak Starkey has not been fired from The Who, despite recent speculation.

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Earlier this week, reports emerged that the drummer – the son of Ringo Starr and the full-time sticksman for the rock icons since 1996 – had been let go as the result of a “collective decision” following a series of shows at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Starkey himself appeared to confirm the news on Wednesday (April 16), telling Rolling Stone that he was ”very proud of my near thirty years with The Who” and that he “remains their biggest fan”.

He added: “After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do?”

Now, however, the band’s guitarist and songwriter Townshend has denied that Starkey has been let go, writing on Instagram: “News flash! Who back Zak!”

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In a longer post on the band’s website posted today (April 19), Townshend further clarified the situation, writing: “There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”

Referring to the four Royal Albert Hall shows in March, he added that he and frontman Roger Daltrey informed Starkey that they wanted him to “tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line-up”, which he says the drummer has “readily agreed” to do.

“I take responsibility for some of the confusion,” Townshend continued, saying that the band are “a family” and that the story “blew up very quickly” this week and “got too much oxygen”.

He did note that he felt Starkey “made a few mistakes” during the shows, for which he has apologised. “It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.”

Townshend also noted that he regretted that Daltrey’s touring drummer Scott Devours had been linked by some as Starkey’s potential replacement. “I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread,” he said. “He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drunk and give him a hug.”

Starkey suffered a blood clot in his leg earlier this year, leading his supergroup Mantra Of The Cosmos – also including Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder and Bez as well as Oasis’ Andy Bell – to have to cancel a secret gig in Soho. He has now said he is “completely healed” and the health scare “does not affect my drumming”.

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