The Who Sacks Zak Starkey for a Second Time, in Advance of Farewell Tour: ‘I Was Fired Two Weeks After Reinstatement,’ Drummer Says

Zak Starkey is out as the Who‘s drummer — and no, this is not a month-old story coming up in your feed. The longtime drummer for the band has been let go for a second time, and presumably for good, in advance of the group going out on a farewell tour — news that was made public on social media first by guitarist Pete Townshend, then confirmed by a displeased Starkey.

Starkey said that he had been asked to claim he was quitting this time of his own accord instead of being fired, but “this would be a lie. I love the Who and would never had quit,” he wrote, in his version of what has gone down amid “this madness.”

Townshend first broke the news in text posted as an overlay to a photo on his Instagram account: “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”

Townshend also used the post to announce the drummer who will apparently answer the question “who’s last?” for the farewell outing. “Scott Devours who has worked with Roger’s solo band will join the Who for our Final shows. Please welcome him.”

In response, Starkey wrote, “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie. I love the who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement ….quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox x.”

It’s been one month since the drummer was announced as having been dismissed from the band and then was quickly rehired. So Starkey saying now that he was let go again two weeks after being redrafted for the group would suggest that this second sacking happened about two weeks ago but is just now coming to light.

Starkey had previously been let go after the band played Teenage Cancer Trust charity concerts in March at London’s Royal Albert Hall, during which singer Roger Daltrey was visibly unhappy at how portions of the show proceeded.

The news of Starkey’s first firing came on April 16, when a Who rep released a statement saying: “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.”

That initial severance led Starkey to get snarky: His cheeky post about the first firing had him calling Daltrey “Toger Dakrey,” and saying the singer was “bringing formal charges of overplaying” against him. But the drummer, who is Ringo Starr’s son, also was upfront about his sadness in losing the part-time job he’d held since coming on board for a “Quadrophenia” revival tour in 1996. He said then that he was “surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night” at Royal Albert Hall, “but what can you do?”

Yet, in keeping with the Easter season, Starkey was resurrected by the band three days later, as Townshend took to his social media then to declare: “News Flash! Who back Zak! … Zak is not being asked to step down from the Who. There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”

But now the 30-year relationship between Starkey and Who mainstays Townshend and Daltrey is ending unhappily-ever-after, after all.

Fan reactions in response to Townshend’s Instagram post were decidedly mixed, with some saying they cannot fathom the modern-day incarnation of the Who without Starkey in tow; others were saying that his replacement, Devours, is a proven quantity who did a fine job in previous stints when he was called upon to fill in for Starkey. In the comments on Starkey’s post, the drummer was getting unanimous support — and outrage — from friends and fans, including Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats, who wrote in the replies, “Zak! These guys are whack!”

This marks the second sacking of a very high-profile fill-in drummer in short order, following Josh Freese having just been fired as Foo Fighters’ drummer, although Freese’s tenure with that group was measured in months and not the decades that Starkey spent filling Keith Moon’s shoes. Indeed, comments immediately arose among fans — some jocular, some serious — that Starkey might be in line to take over in the Foos for Freese.