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Zak was born in 1965 while in the middle of his father's fame
as the drummer with the Beatles. Although Ringo was famous, at home, Richie and Maureen made sure that Zak stayed mostly in
the background, giving him a childhood as best as they could give him. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, Zak expressed an
interest in music. He took piano lessons and learned how to play the recorder, however his main instrument was the drums.When
Zak was 10, Richie gave Zak his first drum kit and gave him one lesson- feeling that his son should find his own groove behind
the drums rather than to copy his own style. Zak practised by hearing records, mostly by the Who and driving his mother crazy.
Keith and Zak struck up a warm friendship and Keith gave Zak a new, bigger, set of drums. They got closer when Zak's parents
divorced in 1975 and Richie moved to Los Angeles, California with visitation rights. However the divorce was painful for Zak
and he blamed Richie for the divorce- their relationship had since been a bit strained. Keith gave Zak an open invitation
to visit him whenever he wanted. Sadly, all that changed with Keith died of an accidental overdose of pills on September 7,
1978. At the age of 16, Zak had his first band, called the Next. He dropped out of school and moved into a cottage on his
father's estate in Tittenhurst Park. He was the youngest member of his band and had access to alcohol and would skip school
in order to get drunk. Maureen found out and tried to send Zak to tutors, but it was no use. Unable to control his ways, Richie
threw Zak out of the house. Richie was also experiencing his problems with alcohol. The Next changed their name to Monopacific,
managed by Peter Butler, who was Keith's assistant. Maureen's boyfriend, later husband, Isaac Tigrett, gave Zak a job at the
Hard Rock Cafe along with his brother Jason and sister Lee. At the age of 17, Zak had his first professional studio with The
Spencer Davis Group. Monopacific broke up and Zak started to work with the Who's bassist, John Entwistle. On January 22, 1985,
Zak married his girlfriend of 3 years, Sarah Menedikes in a private, secret ceremony. The next day, Zak and Sarah announced
to their families that they were married and the following day, Richie gave the newlyweds a reception party. On September
7, 1985, Zak became a father when Sarah gave birth to Tatia Jayne Starkey. Tatia's birth helped Richie and Zak mend their
relationship. Zak continued to work as a drummer, with the Crowds, Icicle Works, and A.S.a.P for many charitable projects.
Zak formed his own band, ICE and released a record in Japan, where he also played a guitar on some tracks. In 1989, Zak joined
his father in his All Starr Band and remained there until 1992 and 1995, touring around the world. In 1994, Roger Daltrey
invited Zak to perform with him in his Daltrey Sings Townshend. During that year, Zak and Simon Townshend formed their own
band, Animal Soup. He also had a side project, Face. In April of 1994, Maureen was diagnosed with luekemia. Zak rushed to
her side and found that his blood and bone marrow typed closely matched hers and donated to try to save her life at the Fred
Hutchinson Center for Cancer Research in Seattle, Washington. Sadly, on December 30, 1994, Maureen died peacefully with Zak
and her family at her bedside. In 1995, John Entwistle and Zak joined Ringo in his All Starr Band and started to tour in the
United States. However mid-way in the tour, back in England, Lee collapsed and was diagnosed with brian tumor. Ringo and Zak
cancelled the rest of the tour and rushed to her side. Lee managed to survive the tumor. In 1996, Zak joined Pete Townshend,
Roger, and John to perform as the Who for the special presentation of "Quadrophenia" and went on the road. In 1997, Zak joined
the Lightning Seeds and continued his work with the Who. In 2000, he joined Johnny Marr + the Healers with success. On October
21, 2001, Zak performed with the Who for the Concert for New York City to fund for the Robin Hood Relief to fund family members
who lost their loved ones in the September 11th attacks with Paul McCartney. In June of 2002, the night before opening night
of the beginning of the new Who tour, John Entwistle died in his sleep, due to a drug-related heart failure. The Who cancelled
the opening yet decided to continue on with the tour with Pino Pallendino on bass. In 2003, after the Who's tour, Zak toured
with Johnny Marr + the Healers in support of their new album. They opened for Pearl Jam during their Australia tour. In 2004,
rumors circulated that Zak temporary was joining Oasis proved true when on June 25, 2004, Zak performed with them for the
Glastonbury Festival. In 2006, Zak performed with The Who and Oasis, continuing to tour with the Who into 2007. Zak and Sharna
(from Australia) met in Sydney in 2004 and started a collaboration in music over the phone while their romance blossomed;
Sharna moved to London in 2006. They started as Pengu!ns, Penguins Rising, now known as SSHH. Zak became a grandfather when
his daughter Tatia gave birth to Stone in 2016. In 2020, Zak and Sharna founded their own record label, Trojan Jamaica. On
March 21, 2021, Sharna gave birth to Luna Lee Lightnin Starkey and they got married exactly a year later (March 21, 2022)
at the Sunset Marquois in Hollywood, California with Ringo and Barbara in attendance.
Name Origins
Zak was a nice name decided by Ringo, a name that can not be shorten and his love of Western films.
Career
Artist
1969- Zak designed the back cover of the Beatles' 1969 annual Christmas album
Musician
-drummed in various bands since the 1980s
*Zak played guitar with Musty Jack Sponge and The Exploding Nudists
1992 and 1995- toured with Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band
1996- present- played drums for the Who
2000-2005- member of Johnny Marr + the Healers
2004-2008- member of Oasis
2004- present- member of SSHH (formerly known as Penqu!n and Penguins Rising)
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