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’ history. As Ringo Starr’s first wife, she bore witness not only to the Beatlemania era but also to the band’s breakup and its members’ various affairs and struggles with substance abuse. And in the 1970s, she played a major role in the band drama herself when she infamously had an affair with her husband’s bandmate, George Harrison.
Tragically, Maureen Starkey died from leukemia in 1994 at the age of 47. But while much of her life is a mystery, her legacy remains inextricably tied to the Beatles’ story.
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 teenager to become a hairdresser at Ashley du Pre and changed her name to Maureen, encouraging people to call her by her nickname “Mo.”
During this time, Maureen began 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 dance — and the rest is history.
“She was a fan whose dream had come true,” Pattie Boyd, the former wife of George Harrison, wrote in her book Wonderful Tonight. “She had started out as one of the hundreds of teenage girls who queued day after day at the Cavern to get close to the front of the stage for the best possible view of the Beatles and in hope that they might catch the eye of one. Every fan had a favorite, and Ringo was hers.”
Their relationship took off from there, and soon Maureen was meeting the rest of the bandmates and traveling with the crew around the world. Before long, Maureen was pregnant with Ringo’s child. The pair married in February 1965 at the Caxton Hall registry office in London.
But while it seemed like Maureen Starkey was living a dream come true, her relationship with the Beatles drummer was a rocky one.
Smith Archive / Alamy Stock PhotoRingo Starr and Maureen Cox on their wedding day in 1965.
An Exciting But Turbulent Life In The Beatles’ Inner Circle
Maureen Starkey gave birth to Zak Starkey on Sept. 13, 1965, and before long, the couple welcomed two more children: Jason and Lee Starkey. As the Beatles skyrocketed to superstardom, the Starkey family lived a life of luxury, moving from mansion to luxurious mansion in the United Kingdom.
In the early days of Maureen and Ringo Starr’s relationship, Maureen preferred to stay out of the spotlight. She mostly avoided the press, choosing instead to spend her days raising the children and answering Ringo’s fan mail.
She also accompanied the Beatles crew to India in 1968. There, Maureen Starkey bonded with the wives and girlfriends of the other Beatles members as they swapped stories about what each of their lives was like in the spotlight.
But behind the scenes, Maureen and Ringo were having marital troubles.
“He has this inferiority complex about ‘im,” Maureen Starkey said of Ringo in a rare 1988 interview with Le Chroniqueur. “He just wants me to constantly reassure ‘im that I love him because he gets afraid. We would be lying in bed and he would hold me close to him and say, ‘Do you really love me?’ I would have to constantly reassure him that I did love him, that I did care for him; and I think he was really pleased to hear me say that to ‘im. He was so afraid that I might not love him.”
Keystone Press / Alamy Stock PhotoMaureen Starkey and Ringo Starr at the hospital with their newborn son, Jason Starkey.
Life abruptly changed for Maureen Starkey when the Beatles separated in 1970. Ringo Starr took the loss hard, turning to alcohol to cope and reportedly abusing his wife. Ringo himself later admitted he was “a drunk, a wife-beater, and an absent father,” according to a 1995 Independent article.
Before long, Maureen found solace in the arms of a different Beatle: George Harrison.
Maureen Starkey’s Separation From Ringo Starr
During the 1970s, Maureen Starkey began an affair with her husband’s bandmate George Harrison, often visiting George at the home he shared with his wife Pattie and allegedly sneaking around with him during the Beatles’ recording sessions.
As reported in Chris O’Dell’s memoir Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved, George eventually confessed to the affair at a dinner party at the Starkeys’ house, telling the drummer, “You know, Ringo, I’m in love with your wife.”
Ringo responded: “Better you than someone we don’t know.”
In the end, it was Ringo’s own affair with model Nancy Lee Andrews that brought the struggling marriage to an end. They divorced in 1975 after 10 years of marriage.
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.
Life Away From The Beatles
After the divorce, Maureen Starkey fell into a depression. She was reportedly so distraught that at one point, she drove a motorbike into a brick wall at full speed in an attempted suicide. Fortunately, she survived with minor injuries.
After this, Maureen largely fell off the radar until the 1980s, when she met Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues founder Isaac Tigrett. The two married in 1989 and had a daughter, Augusta.
Life seemed to return 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 ceremony of the House of Blues in Los Angeles. She was eventually diagnosed with leukemia.
Maureen fought the illness as long as she could, with her son Zak even donating bone marrow as part of her treatment. Sadly, she contracted a fungal infection and, despite desperate attempts to save her life, Maureen Starkey Tigrett died at age 47 on Dec. 30, 1994, surrounded by her children, husband, and ex-husband Ringo Starr.
Following her death, Paul McCartney wrote the song “Little Willow” in her memory. Today, she is remembered as a leading lady in the Beatles’ early history.
After reading about Maureen Starkey, dive into the story of Cynthia Lennon, the first wife of John Lennon. Then, read the surprising stories behind your favorite Beatles songs.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or use their 24/7 Lifeline Crisis Chat.
