A former hairdresser, Maureen Starkey was married to Ringo Starr for 10 years before they divorced amid Starr’s substance abuse — and Starkey’s affair with George Harrison.
PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoMaureen Starkey with Ringo Starr , the drummer of the Beatles .
Maureen Starkey was a key figure in the Beatles ’ account . As Ringo Starr ’s first married woman , she bore witness not only to theBeatlemaniaera but also to the band ’s detachment and its member ’ various affairs and struggles with centre abuse . And in the 1970s , she played a major office in the stria drama herself when she infamously had an thing with her husband ’s bandmate , George Harrison .
Tragically , Maureen Starkey break down from leucaemia in 1994 at the age of 47 . But while much of her life is a mystery story , her bequest stay inextricably tied to the Beatles ’ fib .
PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoMaureen Starkey with Ringo Starr, the drummer of the Beatles.
The Early Life Of Maureen Starkey And Her Journey To Becoming The Wife Of A Beatle
Born in 1946 in Liverpool , England , Mary “ Maureen ” Cox had a reputation for being something of a wild child . She left convent school as a teen to become a stylist at Ashley du Pre and changed her name to Maureen , encouraging people to call her by her nickname “ Mo. ”
During this time , Maureen start out to explore Liverpool ’s bustling music scene . She was already dating Hurricanes musician Johnny Guitar when she met the Beatles ’ drummer Ringo Starr at the Cavern Club when she was 16 . Ringo asked her to trip the light fantastic toe — and the rest is history .
“ She was a fan whose dream had come true,”Pattie Boyd , the former wife of George Harrison , write in her bookWonderful Tonight . “ She had start out as one of the hundreds of teenaged girls who queued daytime after day at the Cavern to get close to the front of the stage for the best possible eyeshot of the Beatles and in hope that they might catch the center of one . Every fan had a best-loved , and Ringo was hers . ”
Smith Archive / Alamy Stock PhotoRingo Starr and Maureen Cox on their wedding day in 1965.
Their relationship get hold of off from there , and presently Maureen was meeting the rest of the bandmates and traveling with the gang around the cosmos . Before long , Maureen was meaning with Ringo ’s child . The dyad get married in February 1965 at the Caxton Hall register office in London .
But while it seemed like Maureen Starkey was living a dreaming get along true , her relationship with the Beatles drummer was a rocky one .
Smith Archive / Alamy Stock PhotoRingo Starr and Maureen Cox on their wedding ceremony daylight in 1965 .
Keystone Press / Alamy Stock PhotoMaureen Starkey and Ringo Starr at the hospital with their newborn son, Jason Starkey.
An Exciting But Turbulent Life In The Beatles’ Inner Circle
Maureen Starkey give birth to Zak Starkey on Sept. 13 , 1965 , and before long , the couple welcomed two more children : Jason and Lee Starkey . As the Beatles skyrocket to superstardom , the Starkey family lived a living of luxury , moving from mansion to luxuriant mansion in the United Kingdom .
In the early days of Maureen and Ringo Starr ’s relationship , Maureen prefer to stay out of the spotlight . She mostly forfend the imperativeness , choose instead to spend her mean solar day set up the children and answering Ringo ’s lover chain armour .
She also accompanied the Beatles crew to India in 1968 . There , Maureen Starkey stick with the wives and lady friend of the other Beatles members as they swop story about what each of their living was like in the limelight .
Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock PhotoRingo Starr and Maureen Starkey on their way to France to attend the 21st Cannes Film Festival in May 1968.
But behind the setting , Maureen and Ringo were having marital troubles .
“ He has this low quality composite about ‘ i m , ” Maureen Starkey said of Ringo in a rare 1988 consultation withLe Chroniqueur . “ He just wants me to perpetually reassure ‘ i m that I love him because he gets afraid . We would be lying in bed and he would bind me close to him and say , ‘ Do you really love me ? ’ I would have to always assure him that I did bed him , that I did manage for him ; and I conceive he was really proud of to pick up me say that to ‘ i m. He was so afraid that I might not love him . ”
Keystone Press / Alamy Stock PhotoMaureen Starkey and Ringo Starr at the infirmary with their newborn Logos , Jason Starkey .
Life dead interchange for Maureen Starkey when the Beatles separated in 1970 . Ringo Starr took the loss intemperately , twist to inebriant to manage and reportedly abusing his wife . Ringo himself afterwards take on he was “ a drunk , a wife - beater , and an absent begetter , ” according to a 1995Independentarticle .
Before long , Maureen rule solace in the arms of a dissimilar Beatle : George Harrison .
Maureen Starkey’s Separation From Ringo Starr
During the seventies , Maureen Starkey begin an affair with her married man ’s bandmate George Harrison , often see George at the home he shared with his married woman Pattie and allegedly sneaking around with him during the Beatles ’ transcription session .
As reported in Chris O’Dell ’s memoirMiss O’Dell : My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles , the Stones , Bob Dylan , Eric Clapton , and the Women They do it , George eventually confessed to the involvement at a dinner party political party at the Starkeys ’ mansion , telling the drummer , “ You know , Ringo , I ’m in love with your wife . ”
Ringo responded : “ Better you than someone we do n’t experience . ”
In the end , it was Ringo ’s own affair with theoretical account Nancy Lee Andrews that brought the struggling marriage to an end . They disunite in 1975 after 10 year of marriage .
Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock PhotoRingo Starr and Maureen Starkey on their way to France to assist the twenty-first Cannes Film Festival in May 1968 .
Life Away From The Beatles
After the divorce , Maureen Starkey fell into a economic crisis . She was reportedly so distraught that at one point , she drove a minibike into a brick wall at full focal ratio in an attempted suicide . fortuitously , she pull through with pocket-size injury .
After this , Maureen largely fell off the radar until the 1980s , when she met Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues father Isaac Tigrett . The two marry in 1989 and had a girl , Augusta .
Life seemed to fall to normal for Maureen Starkey Tigrett . She was living between the United Kingdom and United States with her new husband and family .
Then , in 1994 , Maureen collapsed at the opening ceremonial occasion of the House of Blues in Los Angeles . She was finally diagnose with leukemia .
Maureen contend the malady as long as she could , with her Logos Zak even donating osseous tissue centre as part of her treatment . Sadly , she contracted a fungal infection and , despite desperate attempt to relieve her life , Maureen Starkey Tigrett die at age 47 on Dec. 30 , 1994 , surrounded by her youngster , married man , and ex - hubby Ringo Starr .
After reading about Maureen Starkey , dive into the story ofCynthia Lennon , the first wife of John Lennon . Then , read the surprisingstories behind your favorite Beatles songs .
If you or someone you roll in the hay is contemplating suicide , call theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat 1 - 800 - 273 - 8255 or expend their 24/7Lifeline Crisis Chat .
