There are artists whose influence can be measured by charts, awards, and headlines — and then there are those whose presence feels woven into the quiet moments of everyday life. At 85, Ringo Starr stands firmly in the second category.
His legacy is not simply the story of a drummer who changed popular music; it is the story of a life lived with intention, humor, resilience, and a rhythm that seems always to find its way back to hope. When he steps into the soft glow of the interview lights, the effect is immediate: the room seems to brighten in the same gentle way a Liverpool morning breaks through the mist.
Ringo speaks with the ease of someone who has told the truth for so many years that he no longer needs to search for it. The past does not weigh on him; it simply lives alongside him. He remembers the first flights to America, when excitement sat shoulder to shoulder with uncertainty. He recalls the deafening roar at the Hollywood Bowl, a sound so overwhelming that even he admits it felt like standing inside a storm. And he talks about Now and Then — the final Beatles song — with a warmth that softens the decades. When that track earned a Grammy, half a century after the band parted ways, it felt less like a victory and more like a confirmation: some connections outlive time itself.
What surprises many is how present he still is — how curious, how open, how willing to reinvent himself. Ringo continues to create new music, not out of obligation, but out of the same joy that drove him to drum in the tiny clubs of Liverpool long before the world knew his name. His studio remains a place of exploration. His tours remain celebrations of gratitude. And his message — peace and love — has expanded from a catchphrase into a steady philosophy that grounds him no matter how fast the world moves around him.
When asked about performing with Paul McCartney again, a familiar spark appears, the kind of spark that seems to light from within rather than from memory.
💬 “I still love to drum when he’s playing bass — it’s magical,” he says, and the line carries something deeper than nostalgia. It carries trust, history, and the kind of artistic understanding that does not weaken with age.
His creative world reaches far beyond music. Ringo’s paintings and digital art have raised remarkable funds for charity, each piece marked by his signature blend of color, optimism, and quiet humor. In these works, as in his drumming, he embraces imperfection as part of the beauty. His art feels alive because it is honest — expressive, spontaneous, and created with the same pulse that once drove the most famous rhythm section in modern music.
Through all of this, one truth becomes clear: Ringo Starr has never been defined by the size of the stage, but by the steadiness of the beat he carries within him. At 85, he is not simply reflecting on a life of accomplishments; he is still adding to them. New music, new memories, new pathways of generosity — the tempo continues.
And as he leans back, smiling with the ease of someone who has learned the value of authenticity, the message feels unmistakable:
The beat goes on — and so does he.