Zak Starkey has issued a statement via Rolling Stone in response to being fired as The Who’s touring drummer after holding the position for 29 years.
Starkey begins by saying, “I’m very proud of my near thirty years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘uncle Keith’ has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan. They’ve been like family to me. In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.”
He adds, “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? I plan to take some much needed time off with my family, and focus on the release of ‘Domino Bones’ by Mantra Of The Cosmos with Noel Gallagher in May and finishing my autobiography written solely by me.”
Starkey concludes, “Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.”
As previously reported, a rep for The Who said about Starkey’s dismissal, “The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future.”
While that quote gives the impression that the split was civil, the U.K.’s Mirror cites sources who say Starkey is not happy about this decision. These sources also noted that there were a “few issues with the drumming” during the recent Royal Albert Hall shows, which led to this split.
