Ringo Starr’s Wives: From a Beatlemania Union to a Bond Girl Marriage of 40+ Years
See why Ringo says he's 'beyond blessed' to be married to actress Barbara Bach
Ringo Starr is known for his joyful presence and embrace of peace and love, and his nearly 44-year marriage to Barbara Bach embodies his eternally positive vibes. Starr holds the distinction of being one of the longest-married rock stars around, and we’re forever charmed by his sweet relationship.
Prior to his current partnership Starr had a decade-long marriage to Maureen Starkey, the mother of his three children, which began during the height of Beatlemania. Here’s a deep dive into the iconic drummer’s two marriages.
Ringo Starr’s early loves
Before he became a Beatle, Ringo Starr dated Patricia Davies and Paula Bennett and was briefly engaged to Geraldine McGovern. Starr and McGovern’s engagement ended because the local Liverpool girl wanted him to get a “stable” job rather than pursue music—but we all know how that story ended up!
Ringo Starr’s first wife: Maureen Starkey
Ringo Starr met hairdresser Maureen Cox at the Cavern Club, where the Beatles gave their earliest performances, during the same week he joined the band in 1962, marking a truly auspicious time in his legendary life.
Starr and Cox married in 1965, after she unexpectedly became pregnant with their son, Zak. Zak went on to follow in his famous father’s footsteps, becoming a drummer for bands like Oasis, the Who and of course, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.
Maureen, who took on Ringo’s original surname, Starkey, and sometimes went by the nickname Mo, was just 18 years old when she married and got pregnant, and in the whirlwind of the Beatles’ success, she quit her hairdressing job and became a full-time wife and mom. In 1967 she gave birth to another son, Jason, who dabbled in music and became a photographer, and in 1970 she had their daughter, Lee, who became a makeup artist and fashion designer.
Tensions arose in the marriage as the Beatles broke up and Starr began cheating on his wife and drinking excessively. Things got even more dramatic in 1973, when George Harrison, who was then married to Pattie Boyd, confessed that he was in love with Maureen, and had an affair with her. Following this Beatle betrayal, the marriage continued to fall apart, and they divorced in 1975 after Starr had an affair with model Nancy Lee Andrews.
After the divorce, Maureen began dating Isaac Tigrett, the businessman who founded the Hard Rock Cafe and the House of Blues. They married in 1989 and had a daughter, Augusta. Sadly, Maureen died of leukemia at just 48 years old in 1994.
Ringo Starr’s wife of over 40 years: Barbara Bach
Ringo Starr met his second wife, model turned actress Barbara Bach (best known for her role as a Bond girl in the 1977 movie The Spy Who Loved Me), on the set of the film Caveman in 1980.
In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Starr was dating around, and had relationships with actress Shelley Duvall, singer Lynsey de Paul and Stephanie LaMotta, the daughter of boxing champion Jake LaMotta. When he met Bach, he was dating Nancy Lee Andrews, who he’d begun seeing during his first marriage.
While Starr and Bach were both in relationships when they first met (and Bach had previously been married to businessman Augusto Gregorini and had a daughter, Francesca, now a director), they felt an instant attraction. By the final week of shooting Caveman, the Beatle and the Bond girl became an item. Funnily enough, Bach saw the Beatles’ famed Shea Stadium concert as a teen in 1965, but admitted that at the time she was more of a Rolling Stones fan.
The pair married in April 1981, and the wedding was a poignant occasion, as it brought the three remaining Beatles together just months after John Lennon’s shocking murder. At the wedding Starr and his bandmates had an impromptu jam session, making it a truly special event.
Starr and Bach have had a long and loving marriage, but it hasn’t always been easy: In 1980, they survived a car crash, and in the wake of the accident, Starr said, “We decided we wouldn’t spend any time apart . . . I want to live every minute with Barbara.” In 1988, the couple entered rehab together, as they had both been battling drug and alcohol addiction. After rehab, the Beatle had a new lease on life, and he formed Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in 1989.
Long rock star marriages are a rarity, and reflecting on their everlasting union, Bach claimed that their secret to staying together is simple, saying, “I love the man, and that’s it,” while Starr added, “There’s no escape . . . I think I love Barbara as much [today] as I did [when we met]—and I’m beyond blessed that she loves me and we’re still together.”
Starr may be one of the most famous and beloved musicians in the world, yet the way he talks about his marriage is beautifully down to earth. It’s hard to believe he’s now 84 and a great-grandfather, but it seems that his many decades of marital bliss have kept him as vibrant as ever.
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