Ringo Starr's 3 Children: All About Zak, Jason and Lee

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

Ringo Starrhas plenty of love for his family.

The formerBeatleis the father of three adult kids — Zak, 59, Jason, 57, and Lee, 54 — whom he welcomed with his late ex-wife Maureen Cox. The two were together from 1962 to 1975, but separated following Starr’s affair with American model Nancy Lee Adams andCox’s affairwithGeorge Harrison.

In 1981, Starr (born Richard Starkey) married actress and modelBarbara Bach. These days, the famed drummer considers his kids, Bach and his grandkids, the greatest blessings in his life.

“I have many blessings, family blessings, my children are blessings. I’ve got eight grandkids now and a great grandson. They’re all blessings. I’m an only child and I look around the table and I go what? All these people are related to me. It’s far out. And Barbara’s in my life, that’s another blessing,” he told theManila Bulletin.

However, fatherhood didn’t always come easy to him. “I learned from being a father that I could have been a better father,” he told the outlet, admitting that he’s a better grandfather: “And I love being a grandfather because you can have all that fun and just give them back.”

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In addition to having families of their own, Starr’s children also went on to have their own successful careers, and some of them even followed in their father’s footsteps and pursued music.

When it comes to how the large Starr clan keeps in touch, the music legend told PEOPLE they have an active text thread, packed with photo updates and lots and lots of emojis. “We’ve got a family text. It’s so great. We’re that sort of afamily in the modern age,” he said.

Keep reading for everything there is to know about Ringo Starr’s children.

Zak Starkey, 59

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Starr’s oldest child, Zak Richard Starkey, was born on Sept. 13, 1965. Like his dad, he is a talented musician. The Grammy-winning drummer has played and recorded with the legendary rock bandThe Whosince 1996.

Zak and his father are very close, and their shared love for music might be what bonds them above all. “When I was very young there was music all around me in my parents' house,” he toldModern Drummer. “You would go into the living room and find stacks and stacks of LPs. I would spend my days listening to records.” Zak also credits his dad for sparking his interest in becoming a professional musician, recalling a T. Rex concert the two attended in 1971 as the defining moment that cemented his dream. “That was it for me,” he told the outlet.

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Over the years, the father-son duo have collaborated and performed together a handful of times. In 1985, they both took part in Artists United Against Apartheid’sprotest song"Sun City." Zak then joined Starr and the All-Starr Band on tour in 1992 and 1995.

Zak and his current partner, Sharna “Sshh” Liguz, have been together for nearly two decades, and they share a young daughter, Luna Lee Lightnin Starkey. Luna was born on March 21, 2021, and her parentsgot marriedexactly a year after her birth. “After 18 years together, Luna’s umbilical cord kinda tied the knot”, the couple joked in a statement to PEOPLE, “but we wanted to make it official and share with our friends and family in the U.S., before doing the same in Jamaica and the U.K..”

Jason Starkey, 57

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Born on Aug. 19, 1967, Jason followed in his dad’s and older brother’s musical footsteps. As a drummer, he performed with various indie bands and even briefly formed his own group with his brother Zak called Musty Jack Sponge and the Exploding Nudists. He later retired his drum kit in favor of being a road manager, and then a photographer.

In 2010, Jason married his longtime girlfriend Flora Evans. Evans is a fashion and floral designer and co-founder of thejeans brand Superfine, whichlists celebritieslikeKylie Minogue,Kate Moss,Kim Kardashian,Victoria Beckham, andDrew Barrymoreamong its fans. The two share four sons: Louis, born in 1999; Sonny, born in 2002; Rock, born in 2009; and Budy, born in 2011. Louis is an actor, with credits inBillie Piper’sRare Beasts,Worse Than FamilyandRingo Starr’s Big Birthday Show!.

Jason prefers to stay out of the limelight, and he and his family rarely make public appearances, nor do they have public social media profiles.

Lee Starkey, 54

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Starr’s only daughter, Lee Starkey, was born on Nov. 11, 1970, just months after the Beatles broke up.

In 1990, Lee appeared alongside Starrin an Oldsmobile ad, in which she played herself and said one line: “Hello, Daddy.” She also sang backup vocals for “La De Da,” a track on Starr’s 1998 albumVertigo Man. She currently works as makeup artist and fashion designer, and co-founded a short-lived retail boutique in Los Angeles called Planet Alice, which paid homage to her father’s legacy and catered to ’60s-inspired fashion.

Lee and Mehler like to keep their personal life rather private. However, it appears that the triplets are already following in their dad and grandfather’s musical footsteps; they’ve even been receiving lessons from the former Beatle.

source: people.com