Ringo Starr spent his youth at the centre of one of the most extraordinary musical phenomena in history, but away from the Beatles, another story has been unfolding for decades.
At its heart is Barbara Bach, the former Bond girl he married in 1981 and still describes as one of the great blessings of his life.
Their relationship has survived more than four decades, a terrifying car accident and a period when both entered rehab together.
And Ringo’s musical legacy has continued into another generation.
His eldest son, Zak Starkey, didn’t simply inherit his father’s interest in the drums. He built a formidable career of his own, spending nearly three decades behind the kit for The Who and performing with artists including Oasis, Paul Weller and Johnny Marr.
Behind one of the world’s most famous drummers is a family story almost as remarkable as the career that made his name.
Ringo Still Feels ‘Beyond Blessed’ By Barbara
Ringo, 86, and Barbara, 80, married in London on April 27, 1981.
Forty-five years later, their relationship remains one of rock music’s most enduring marriages.
Speaking about Barbara in 2015, Ringo suggested that remarkably little had changed about his feelings for her.
“I think I love Barbara as much [today] as I did [when we met],” he told People, adding that he felt “beyond blessed” that she still loved him and they remained together.
Barbara once admitted that neither of them had expected marriage to be part of their futures when they found each other.
She had previously been married to Italian businessman Augusto Gregorini, with their marriage ending in divorce in 1978.
Afterward, she didn’t imagine herself doing it again.
“We both had the same philosophy, neither one ever wanting to marry again,” she explained.
Falling for Ringo changed that.
Barbara First Saw Ringo Years Before They Fell In Love
Their story actually stretches back considerably further than their relationship.
Barbara attended the Beatles’ famous Shea Stadium concert in New York in 1965.
Ironically, she wasn’t even the biggest Beatles fan.
Her sister Marjorie was.
Barbara later recalled that her own musical tastes leaned more toward Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and the Rolling Stones, and she attended the concert largely because of her sister’s enthusiasm.
Years later, the family connection became even more extraordinary.
Marjorie would marry Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, making him Ringo’s brother-in-law.
But in 1965, Barbara could hardly have known that one of the four musicians performing in front of thousands at Shea Stadium would eventually become her husband.
It would take another 15 years before their lives properly collided.
They Fell In Love While Making Caveman
Ringo and Barbara were brought together professionally while working on the 1980 film Caveman.
They were cast as love interests, although both were involved with other people at the time.
Ringo was immediately attracted to her, but Barbara later insisted that their relationship remained platonic for most of the production.
Everything changed during the final week of filming.
“We changed from friendly love to being in love,” she recalled in a 1981 Playboy interview.
According to Barbara, the transformation happened extraordinarily quickly.
Within a week, their relationship had changed completely.
The following year, they were married.
Barbara Was Already Famous As A Bond Girl
Long before becoming Mrs. Starr, Barbara had established her own screen career.
She starred opposite Roger Moore in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
Barbara played Anya Amasova, giving her a permanent place in the history of the Bond franchise.
She later remembered Moore warmly, describing working with him as “a pleasure.”
Following his death in 2017, she paid tribute to him as a “kind and good man” and “a true gentleman.”
But by the beginning of the 1980s, Barbara’s personal life had become closely intertwined with Ringo’s.
And shortly before their wedding, the couple survived an experience that strengthened their determination to remain together.
A Terrifying Car Accident Changed Their Relationship
In 1980, Ringo and Barbara were involved in a serious car crash.
Ringo swerved to avoid a truck, hitting two light posts before their vehicle rolled twice.
Both survived.
Afterward, the couple made a decision about their relationship.
They wanted to spend as little time apart as possible.
“We decided we wouldn’t spend any time apart,” Ringo later explained.
At the time he made the remark, he said their longest separation had been only five days — and even that felt like too much.
“I want to live every minute with Barbara,” he said.
But another enormous challenge still lay ahead.
They Entered Rehab Together
By the 1980s, Ringo’s life had moved far from the relentless musical productivity that defined the Beatles years.
He later spoke openly about becoming heavily involved with substances, acknowledging that they eventually became more important than almost everything else.
In 1988, Ringo and Barbara entered the Sierra Tucson Rehabilitation Clinic together.
The experience marked a major turning point.
Ringo later explained that after rehab he began rebuilding his professional life.
“In ’88 I ended up in rehab, and in ’89 I put the first All-Starr Band together,” he told People.
“I got back on track, and that’s what I’ve done ever since.”
The couple also became vegetarians and supported organizations dealing with substance addiction.
Their marriage continued through the transformation.
Ringo Became A Father Long Before Meeting Barbara
Ringo’s family story also includes his three children from his first marriage to Maureen Cox.
The couple welcomed sons Zak and Jason and daughter Lee.
And perhaps unsurprisingly, music found its way into the next generation.
Both of Ringo’s sons became drummers.
Jason performed with various indie bands before eventually retiring from music.
Zak went considerably further.
Zak Starkey Didn’t Just Become ‘Ringo’s Son’
Being the son of a Beatle guaranteed Zak Starkey would grow up surrounded by extraordinary expectations.
Becoming a drummer made those comparisons almost unavoidable.
But Zak ultimately created a career substantial enough to stand apart from his father’s.
He became closely associated with The Who, playing and recording with the legendary band from 1996 until May 2025.
The position carried a particularly personal significance.
The Who’s original drummer, Keith Moon, was Zak’s godfather.
Zak affectionately referred to him as “Uncle Keith.”
Following his departure from The Who after what was described as a “collective decision,” Zak reflected proudly on almost three decades with the group.
“Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘Uncle Keith,’ has been the biggest honor,” he told People.
He added that The Who had become “like family” to him.
Zak Built An Extraordinary Rock Résumé
The Who was only one chapter of Zak’s career.
He also played drums with Oasis and worked with an extensive list of major musicians.
His credits include Johnny Marr, Paul Weller, Yoko Ono and Steven Van Zandt, among many others.
It is an impressive career for any drummer.
For the son of Ringo Starr, however, it carries another layer.
Zak chose the same instrument that made his father famous but didn’t simply spend his career recreating the Beatles story.
Instead, he became part of the histories of other major British rock acts.
The Beat Goes On
Ringo’s name will always be inseparable from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and the phenomenon the four created together.
But his life after the Beatles has lasted far longer than the band’s years together.
Within that story, Barbara has remained beside him for 45 years.
They met unexpectedly, fell in love within days, survived a frightening accident, confronted addiction together and built a marriage that has endured through decades of fame.
At the same time, the unmistakable sound of drums continued into the next generation.
Zak inherited the instrument but created his own path with it, performing alongside some of the biggest names in rock.
Ringo Starr’s Beatles legacy may be impossible to replicate.
His family, however, found its own way to keep the music playing.