Maureen Starkey
Encyclopedia
Maureen "Mo" Starkey Tigrett, née Mary Cox, (4 August 1946 – 30 December 1994) was the first wife of The Beatles
drummer, Ringo Starr
. She met Starr at The Cavern Club
, where The Beatles were playing, when she was a trainee hairdresser in Liverpool. Starr proposed marriage at the Ad-Lib Club in London, on 20 January 1965. They were married at the Caxton Hall
Register Office, London, in 1965, but were divorced in 1975.
First living at 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
, the Starrs bought Sunny Heights
, in St George's Hill, Weybridge
. In 1973, they bought Tittenhurst Park
from John Lennon
. They had three children together: Zak, Jason, and a daughter, Lee. As a favour to Starr, Frank Sinatra
recorded a special version of "The Lady Is a Tramp
", for her 22nd birthday in 1968.
She started living with Isaac Tigrett
in 1976—one of the founders of the Hard Rock Cafe
and the House of Blues
—and married him in 1989. They had one daughter, Augusta. Maureen died at home of leukaemia
on 30 December 1994, after receiving treatment at at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
in Seattle, Washington. Her four children, mother, husband and ex-husband Starr were at her bedside when she died.
, and Florence Cox (née Barrett). As a teenager, she remembered turning her school uniform around to make it look like a frock, and paying a school friend ten cigarettes a day to teach her how to "smoke properly". She left a convent school when she was 14-years-old, changing her name to Maureen when she began her career as a trainee manicurist/hairdresser at Ashley du Pre, in Liverpool, but was known as "Mo" to her friends.
for a bet, but developed a crush on Starr, kissing him as well and getting his autograph, but it was not until three weeks later that Starr took any notice of her. He later admitted to having no recollection of their first meeting, as there were so many other fans doing the same thing at the time. She later always referred to Starr as "Ritchie", being an abbreviation of his real name, Richard Starkey.
The Beatles' appearances were sometimes violent, with fans vying for the band members' attention, and Cox was often threatened when some fans realised that she was dating Starr. She was viciously scratched on the face by a fan on 14 February 1963, as she was waiting in Starr's car outside the Locarno ballroom
, Liverpool. She once said: "I had to be careful because of the fans. I might easily have been killed otherwise. Not being married was all part of their image, and none of them were supposed to have steadies [girlfriends]". She later had to stop working as a hairdresser because of continuing threats. In September 1963, with her parents' permission, she travelled to Greece with Starr, McCartney and Jane Asher
.
On 3 June 1964, the day before an international tour, Starr collapsed during an early morning photo session for the Saturday Evening Post at a photographer's studio in Barnes, London. Stricken with a 102-degree fever and tonsillitis
, he was rushed to the hospital. Cox visited the hospital every day to help Starr recuperate, bringing him ice cream, and after his convalescence they became a monogamous couple. On 20 January 1965, Starr proposed marriage to Cox at the Ad-Lib Club, which was above the Prince Charles Theatre
at 7 Leicester Place, London.
Because of the pregnancy, Epstein arranged the wedding very quickly, hoping it would be a private affair, with John Lennon
telling her there should be no tears, or she "wouldn't be one of the gang". McCartney was in Tunisia
at the time, and could not attend. After the wedding, George Harrison
(who had arrived on a bicycle), jokingly said: "Two down, two to go", meaning the only two Beatles who were not married: Harrison and McCartney. The Starrs had a brief honeymoon for three days at the holiday home of Epstein's lawyer, David Jacobs, in Prince's Crescent, Hove
, but gave an interview in the back garden on their wedding day, as they were being besieged by numerous reporters, with 100 photographers. Starr then had to depart to the Bahamas for the filming of Help!
, on 22 February. She made it clear from the start that she would not give interviews, as a Beatle spokesperson explained: "She doesn't want to get mixed up in publicity, and Ringo doesn't want her to, either".
The Starrs were living at 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone, when Epstein's accountant suggested that the group members should move to houses near his, in Esher
. Lennon bought a house called Kenwood
in St George's Hill, Weybridge
, Harrison bought Kinfauns on a nearby estate in Esher
, and on 24 July 1965, the Starrs bought Sunny Heights, on South Road, St George's Hill, for £30,000 ($72,000). Ken Partridge was asked to redesign the interior of the six-bedroomed house, incorporating a private pub above the garage, called The Flying Cow, which had a mirrored bar, pool table, jukebox, and a portrait of Lennon and McCartney on the wall. A TV was usually on in every single room, and a go-kart track was laid in the grounds. Although she cooked for the family, the Starrs had a nanny
who lived in the house, and a cleaning woman who visited every day.
After Lennon moved away, they sold Sunny Heights for £50,000 ($120,000), and bought a sixteenth century mansion in Elstead
, from Peter Sellers
, which they soon sold to Stephen Stills
, before moving into Roundhill, on Compton Avenue, Highgate
, London, on 25 April 1969. They bought Tittenhurst Park on 18 September 1973, which had been Lennon's former home.
She enjoyed the closeness of Cynthia Lennon
and Pattie Harrison
, as they often went on holiday together, shopping, and celebrated Christmas. Starr promised that he would set up a nationwide hairdressing business for his wife, but the idea was later shelved, as she had to deal with looking after their children and being the wife of a Beatle. This would entail waiting with other Beatles' partners, at clubs like the Speakeasy Club
, the Ad-Lib, or the Scotch of St James
, or staying up all night, waiting for Starr to come home after a recording session, with a cooked meal waiting for him. She was also asked to look after voluminous fan club mail, and would personally answer letters. The Starrs were both interested in various arts, and collaborated on photo montages, paintings and simple sculptures together.
On 19 February 1968, the Starrs travelled to Rishikesh, India, with McCartney and Asher, joining the Lennons and the Harrisons, who had arrived three days earlier. Maureen took an instant dislike to the spiders, mosquitoes, and flies that were ever-present in the ashram, and as Starr was allergic to many foodstuffs, he had taken a case full of tinned baked beans along, but soon tired of them. The division between the sexes was emphasized by the male musicians sitting outside at night composing songs, while their partners would gather together in one of their rooms, often talking about life as the wife or partner of a Beatle. The Starrs left India on 1 March, saying the unfamiliar food was not to their liking, and they were missing their children.
She sang backup vocals on "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
", and was, along with Yoko Ono
, in attendance at the Apple Corps'
rooftop concert in 1969, which was filmed for Let It Be
, showing her sitting next to the smokestack with Ono to keep warm. McCartney can be heard saying "Thanks, Mo", in reference to Maureen's audible cheering after the final performance of "Get Back
".
catalogue was a special private recording by Sinatra. In 1968, as a favour to Starr, Sinatra recorded a special version of his previously released song, "The Lady Is a Tramp", for her birthday. Sammy Cahn
re-wrote the lyrics, and personalised them: "She married Ringo, and she could have had Paul/That's why the lady is a champ". Sinatra's recording was pressed as a single in Los Angeles, and notated as Apple 1. (Note: "Hey Jude
" had been previously released as a single, but was not given a catalogue number). Starr presented his wife with the single on her 22nd birthday, 4 August 1968. Only a few copies were pressed before the master tape was destroyed, and is still in demand by record collectors. A poor quality copy of the song began circulating in collector circles, and is now available on several bootleg
albums. Starr and his wife attended a Sinatra concert in London, on 8 May 1970.
was born on 13 September 1965, at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital, the same day as the single, "Yesterday
" was released. She said at the time: "I'd like the baby to be like Ringo, but he need not necessarily follow in his father's footsteps". Starr said his son was "a little smasher", but also said, "I won't let Zak be a drummer", which was not to be, as his son later went to on to play with The Who
, and Oasis
. Jason Starkey was born on 19 August 1967, and daughter Lee Starkey
was born on 11 November 1970.
Despite the couple's problems, notwithstanding extra-marital affairs, she did not want to divorce Starr, but eventually, on 17 July 1975, their divorce was finalised on the grounds of Starr's affair with American fashion model, Nancy Lee Andrews. Starr agreed to give his ex-wife custody of their children, and a one-off payment of £125,000 ($201,450), £23,000 a year ($37,089), and £2,500 a year ($4,032), for each of their children. The end of her marriage depressed her deeply; once riding a motorbike into a brick wall in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Starr later admitted that his first marriage had not been the best, confessing that he had been "a drunk, a wife-beater and an absent father".
In November 1987 she instructed her counsel, Thayne Forbes QC, to sue Withers
, the London firm of solicitors that had handled her divorce settlement, for an alleged "breach of contract and negligence", saying that a partner, Charles Doughty, had not fully investigated Starr's finances at the time and had not given enough consideration to the settlement amount and her personal needs. She was present for every day of the three-week court case, and when called to give evidence, she referred to herself as "thick as two short planks
", and Starr as being a "sodding great Andy Capp
" (a womanising, drunk cartoon character). Acquitting Doughty and Withers, Mr Justice Bush said that Starr was "a generous man", as he had increased her yearly payments twice since their divorce, ordering her to pay the whole bill
for the case, which was estimated to be over £200,000 ($322,340).
on 13 September 1978, at the Golders Green Crematorium
, along with 120 guests, including Eric Clapton
, Bill Wyman
and Charlie Watts
. Whilst Lennon's ex-wife, Cynthia Lennon, was staying at Maureen's home in London, she received a phone call from Starr, two hours after Lennon had been shot in New York. She and Starr became grandparents when Tatia Jayne Starkey was born on 7 September 1985, to their eldest son and wife, Sarah Starkey (née Menikides), in England.
After starting to live with Tigrett in 1976—who is best known as one of the founders of the Hard Rock Cafe and the House of Blues—they were married in Monaco, on 27 May 1989. Tigrett, known for collecting memorabilia, once said that Maureen was his "ultimate collectible". During her relationship and marriage to Tigrett she often used the phrase, "Just give me furs, jewels and property, thank you". They had one daughter together, Augusta King Tigrett, who was born on 4 January 1987, in Dallas, Texas
.
She died at home on 30 December 1994, due to complications from leukemia, after receiving treatment at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. She had received bone marrow from her son, Zak, who then donated blood platelets
and white blood cells. Maureen's four children, her 82-year-old mother, husband Tigrett and ex-husband Starr were all at her bedside when she died. Following her death, McCartney wrote the song "Little Willow" in her memory. The song appears on his 1997 album, Flaming Pie
, with a dedication to her children.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
drummer, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
. She met Starr at The Cavern Club
The Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a rock and roll club in Liverpool, England. Opened on Wednesday 16 January 1957, the club had their first performance by The Beatles on 9 February 1961, and where Brian Epstein first saw The Beatles performing on 9 November 1961....
, where The Beatles were playing, when she was a trainee hairdresser in Liverpool. Starr proposed marriage at the Ad-Lib Club in London, on 20 January 1965. They were married at the Caxton Hall
Caxton Hall
Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily for its historical associations...
Register Office, London, in 1965, but were divorced in 1975.
First living at 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
34 Montagu Square, Marylebone
34 Montagu Square is the address of a London ground floor and basement flat once leased by Ringo Starr during the mid-1960s. Its location is 1.3 miles from the Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded...
, the Starrs bought Sunny Heights
Sunny Heights
Sunny Heights, in St George's Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, England, was the mid-1960s home of Ringo Starr, drummer of The Beatles.Starr purchased his home on 24 July 1965 after bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison had bought houses. Sunny Heights, along with its large house and grounds,...
, in St George's Hill, Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
. In 1973, they bought Tittenhurst Park
Tittenhurst Park
Tittenhurst Park was the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from the late summer of 1969 until August 1971, and then the home of Ringo Starr and family until the late-1980s. It is located on a 72-acre estate in London Road, Sunningdale, near Ascot, Berkshire SL5 0PN, England, close to the Surrey...
from John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. They had three children together: Zak, Jason, and a daughter, Lee. As a favour to Starr, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
recorded a special version of "The Lady Is a Tramp
The Lady Is a Tramp
"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette...
", for her 22nd birthday in 1968.
She started living with Isaac Tigrett
Isaac Tigrett
Isaac Tigrett of Jackson, Tennessee is a businessman best known as founder of Hard Rock Café and House of Blues.Tigrett belonged to a well-to-do business family. He was raised in Tennessee until the age of fifteen...
in 1976—one of the founders of the Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
and the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
—and married him in 1989. They had one daughter, Augusta. Maureen died at home of leukaemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
on 30 December 1994, after receiving treatment at at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is one of the world’s leading cancer research institutes...
in Seattle, Washington. Her four children, mother, husband and ex-husband Starr were at her bedside when she died.
Early life
Mary Cox was born on 4 August 1946, in Liverpool, England. She was the only child of Joseph Cox, a ship's stewardSteward's Assistant
A steward's assistant is an unlicensed, entry-level crewmember in the Steward's department of a merchant ship. This position can also be referred to as steward , galley utilityman, messman, supply or waiter.The role of the SA consists mainly of stocking, cleaning and assisting with the...
, and Florence Cox (née Barrett). As a teenager, she remembered turning her school uniform around to make it look like a frock, and paying a school friend ten cigarettes a day to teach her how to "smoke properly". She left a convent school when she was 14-years-old, changing her name to Maureen when she began her career as a trainee manicurist/hairdresser at Ashley du Pre, in Liverpool, but was known as "Mo" to her friends.
Ringo Starr
At the age of 15, Cox became a regular at the Cavern Club, and remembered the long queues to get in, and the competition between fans: "I never joined the queue until about two or three hours before it opened, because it frightened me. There were fights and rows amongst the girls, and when the doors opened the first ones would tear in, knocking each other over". She once kissed Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
for a bet, but developed a crush on Starr, kissing him as well and getting his autograph, but it was not until three weeks later that Starr took any notice of her. He later admitted to having no recollection of their first meeting, as there were so many other fans doing the same thing at the time. She later always referred to Starr as "Ritchie", being an abbreviation of his real name, Richard Starkey.
The Beatles' appearances were sometimes violent, with fans vying for the band members' attention, and Cox was often threatened when some fans realised that she was dating Starr. She was viciously scratched on the face by a fan on 14 February 1963, as she was waiting in Starr's car outside the Locarno ballroom
Liverpool Olympia
The Liverpool Olympia is situated next to The Grafton Ballroom on West Derby Road, Liverpool, England.-History:The Liverpool Olympia was built in 1905 For Moss Empires Ltd by architect Frank Matcham as a purpose built indoor circus and variety theatre...
, Liverpool. She once said: "I had to be careful because of the fans. I might easily have been killed otherwise. Not being married was all part of their image, and none of them were supposed to have steadies [girlfriends]". She later had to stop working as a hairdresser because of continuing threats. In September 1963, with her parents' permission, she travelled to Greece with Starr, McCartney and Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
.
On 3 June 1964, the day before an international tour, Starr collapsed during an early morning photo session for the Saturday Evening Post at a photographer's studio in Barnes, London. Stricken with a 102-degree fever and tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
, he was rushed to the hospital. Cox visited the hospital every day to help Starr recuperate, bringing him ice cream, and after his convalescence they became a monogamous couple. On 20 January 1965, Starr proposed marriage to Cox at the Ad-Lib Club, which was above the Prince Charles Theatre
Prince Charles Cinema
The Prince Charles Cinema is a repertory cinema located in Leicester Place, 40 metres north of Leicester Square in the West End of London. It shows a rotating program of cult, arthouse, and classic films alongside recent Hollywood releases - typically more than ten different films a week on two...
at 7 Leicester Place, London.
Marriage
After finding out she was pregnant in late January 1965, Starr and the 18-year-old Cox were married at the Caxton Hall Register Office, London, by the superintendent registrar Barry Digweed, on 11 February 1965. Starr listed his father's profession as "confectioner", with her listing her father as "ship's steward". Starr wrote that his profession was "musician", with her preferring to leave her profession blank.Because of the pregnancy, Epstein arranged the wedding very quickly, hoping it would be a private affair, with John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
telling her there should be no tears, or she "wouldn't be one of the gang". McCartney was in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
at the time, and could not attend. After the wedding, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
(who had arrived on a bicycle), jokingly said: "Two down, two to go", meaning the only two Beatles who were not married: Harrison and McCartney. The Starrs had a brief honeymoon for three days at the holiday home of Epstein's lawyer, David Jacobs, in Prince's Crescent, Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, but gave an interview in the back garden on their wedding day, as they were being besieged by numerous reporters, with 100 photographers. Starr then had to depart to the Bahamas for the filming of Help!
Help! (film)
Help! is a 1965 film directed by Richard Lester, starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—and featuring Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, John Bluthal, Roy Kinnear and Patrick Cargill. Help! was the second feature film made by the Beatles and is a...
, on 22 February. She made it clear from the start that she would not give interviews, as a Beatle spokesperson explained: "She doesn't want to get mixed up in publicity, and Ringo doesn't want her to, either".
The Starrs were living at 34 Montagu Square, Marylebone, when Epstein's accountant suggested that the group members should move to houses near his, in Esher
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
. Lennon bought a house called Kenwood
Kenwood, St. George's Hill
Kenwood is a house on the St. George's Hill estate, Weybridge, Surrey, England. Originally called the Brown House, it was designed by architect T.A. Allen, and built in 1913 by local builders, Love & Sons. The estate was constructed around the Weybridge Golf Club, which was designed in 1912 by...
in St George's Hill, Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, Harrison bought Kinfauns on a nearby estate in Esher
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, and on 24 July 1965, the Starrs bought Sunny Heights, on South Road, St George's Hill, for £30,000 ($72,000). Ken Partridge was asked to redesign the interior of the six-bedroomed house, incorporating a private pub above the garage, called The Flying Cow, which had a mirrored bar, pool table, jukebox, and a portrait of Lennon and McCartney on the wall. A TV was usually on in every single room, and a go-kart track was laid in the grounds. Although she cooked for the family, the Starrs had a nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
who lived in the house, and a cleaning woman who visited every day.
After Lennon moved away, they sold Sunny Heights for £50,000 ($120,000), and bought a sixteenth century mansion in Elstead
Elstead
Elstead is a village in Surrey, England, with shops and cottages mainly clustered around a central green, close to the River Wey. Neighbouring villages include Gatwick , Puttenham, Charleshill and Peper Harow...
, from Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, which they soon sold to Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, before moving into Roundhill, on Compton Avenue, Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, London, on 25 April 1969. They bought Tittenhurst Park on 18 September 1973, which had been Lennon's former home.
She enjoyed the closeness of Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lillian Lennon is the former wife of musician John Lennon, and mother of Julian Lennon. She grew up in the middle-class section of Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. At the age of twelve, she was accepted into the Junior Art School, and was later enrolled in the...
and Pattie Harrison
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
, as they often went on holiday together, shopping, and celebrated Christmas. Starr promised that he would set up a nationwide hairdressing business for his wife, but the idea was later shelved, as she had to deal with looking after their children and being the wife of a Beatle. This would entail waiting with other Beatles' partners, at clubs like the Speakeasy Club
Speakeasy Club
The Speakeasy Club, 48 Margaret Street, London, England, was a late-night haunt for the music industry from 1966 to the late 1970s. The club was first managed Roy Flynn, who then became the manager of Yes. Tony Howard then became manager, having previously been the main artist booker from The Bryan...
, the Ad-Lib, or the Scotch of St James
Scotch of St James
The Scotch of St James club was a popular meeting place for rock musicians during the mid 1960s situated at 13 Masons Yard, Westminster, London SW1...
, or staying up all night, waiting for Starr to come home after a recording session, with a cooked meal waiting for him. She was also asked to look after voluminous fan club mail, and would personally answer letters. The Starrs were both interested in various arts, and collaborated on photo montages, paintings and simple sculptures together.
On 19 February 1968, the Starrs travelled to Rishikesh, India, with McCartney and Asher, joining the Lennons and the Harrisons, who had arrived three days earlier. Maureen took an instant dislike to the spiders, mosquitoes, and flies that were ever-present in the ashram, and as Starr was allergic to many foodstuffs, he had taken a case full of tinned baked beans along, but soon tired of them. The division between the sexes was emphasized by the male musicians sitting outside at night composing songs, while their partners would gather together in one of their rooms, often talking about life as the wife or partner of a Beatle. The Starrs left India on 1 March, saying the unfamiliar food was not to their liking, and they were missing their children.
She sang backup vocals on "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" is a song by The Beatles from the 1968 double album The Beatles ....
", and was, along with Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, in attendance at the Apple Corps'
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
rooftop concert in 1969, which was filmed for Let It Be
Let It Be (film)
Let It Be is a 1970 documentary film about The Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969. The film features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public...
, showing her sitting next to the smokestack with Ono to keep warm. McCartney can be heard saying "Thanks, Mo", in reference to Maureen's audible cheering after the final performance of "Get Back
Get Back
"Get Back" is a song by The Beatles, composed by Paul McCartney and frequently attributed to Lennon–McCartney. The song was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969, and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston." A different mix of the song later became the closing track of Let It Be ,...
".
Sinatra's birthday song
The very first song in the Apple RecordsApple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
catalogue was a special private recording by Sinatra. In 1968, as a favour to Starr, Sinatra recorded a special version of his previously released song, "The Lady Is a Tramp", for her birthday. Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
re-wrote the lyrics, and personalised them: "She married Ringo, and she could have had Paul/That's why the lady is a champ". Sinatra's recording was pressed as a single in Los Angeles, and notated as Apple 1. (Note: "Hey Jude
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...
" had been previously released as a single, but was not given a catalogue number). Starr presented his wife with the single on her 22nd birthday, 4 August 1968. Only a few copies were pressed before the master tape was destroyed, and is still in demand by record collectors. A poor quality copy of the song began circulating in collector circles, and is now available on several bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
albums. Starr and his wife attended a Sinatra concert in London, on 8 May 1970.
Children
Zak StarkeyZak Starkey
Zak Starkey is an English rock drummer. He is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Starr's first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett. He is also well known for his unofficial membership in the English rock band The Who, with whom he has performed and recorded since 1996. He is also the third...
was born on 13 September 1965, at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital, the same day as the single, "Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" was released. She said at the time: "I'd like the baby to be like Ringo, but he need not necessarily follow in his father's footsteps". Starr said his son was "a little smasher", but also said, "I won't let Zak be a drummer", which was not to be, as his son later went to on to play with The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, and Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
. Jason Starkey was born on 19 August 1967, and daughter Lee Starkey
Lee Starkey
Lee Starkey is Ringo Starr's daughter with his first wife Maureen Starkey. She was co-owner of boutique Planet Alice in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Youth:...
was born on 11 November 1970.
Divorce
When The Beatles broke up in 1970, so did the Starrs' marriage, as Starr's infidelities were becoming more frequent, and his alcoholism was escalating. When the Harrisons were visiting the Starrs, Harrison confessed how much he loved Maureen, which led to an affair. Starr threatened divorce when he was told by Harrison's wife, who had found the pair in bed together. Lennon was equally angry with Harrison, comparing the affair as being "virtual incest".Despite the couple's problems, notwithstanding extra-marital affairs, she did not want to divorce Starr, but eventually, on 17 July 1975, their divorce was finalised on the grounds of Starr's affair with American fashion model, Nancy Lee Andrews. Starr agreed to give his ex-wife custody of their children, and a one-off payment of £125,000 ($201,450), £23,000 a year ($37,089), and £2,500 a year ($4,032), for each of their children. The end of her marriage depressed her deeply; once riding a motorbike into a brick wall in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Starr later admitted that his first marriage had not been the best, confessing that he had been "a drunk, a wife-beater and an absent father".
In November 1987 she instructed her counsel, Thayne Forbes QC, to sue Withers
Withers (law firm)
Withersworldwide is an international law firm dedicated to advising successful people, their families and their businesses. Withers provides integrated advice on the US, UK and international legal and tax needs of their clients which can cover a large variety of issues such as restructuring their...
, the London firm of solicitors that had handled her divorce settlement, for an alleged "breach of contract and negligence", saying that a partner, Charles Doughty, had not fully investigated Starr's finances at the time and had not given enough consideration to the settlement amount and her personal needs. She was present for every day of the three-week court case, and when called to give evidence, she referred to herself as "thick as two short planks
Stupidity
Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense. It may be innate, assumed, or reactive - 'being "stupid with grief" as a defence against trauma', a state marked with 'grief and despair...making even simple daily tasks a hardship'....
", and Starr as being a "sodding great Andy Capp
Andy Capp
Andy Capp is a British comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe , seen in The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Mirror newspapers since 5 August 1957. Originally a single-panel cartoon, Smyth later expanded it to four panels....
" (a womanising, drunk cartoon character). Acquitting Doughty and Withers, Mr Justice Bush said that Starr was "a generous man", as he had increased her yearly payments twice since their divorce, ordering her to pay the whole bill
Court costs
Court costs are the costs of handling a case, which, depending on legal rules, may or may not include the costs of the various parties in a lawsuit in addition to the costs of the court itself. Court costs can reach very high amounts, often far beyond the actual monetary worth of a case...
for the case, which was estimated to be over £200,000 ($322,340).
Later life and death
She attended the funeral of drummer Keith MoonKeith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
on 13 September 1978, at the Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....
, along with 120 guests, including Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
and Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
. Whilst Lennon's ex-wife, Cynthia Lennon, was staying at Maureen's home in London, she received a phone call from Starr, two hours after Lennon had been shot in New York. She and Starr became grandparents when Tatia Jayne Starkey was born on 7 September 1985, to their eldest son and wife, Sarah Starkey (née Menikides), in England.
After starting to live with Tigrett in 1976—who is best known as one of the founders of the Hard Rock Cafe and the House of Blues—they were married in Monaco, on 27 May 1989. Tigrett, known for collecting memorabilia, once said that Maureen was his "ultimate collectible". During her relationship and marriage to Tigrett she often used the phrase, "Just give me furs, jewels and property, thank you". They had one daughter together, Augusta King Tigrett, who was born on 4 January 1987, in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
She died at home on 30 December 1994, due to complications from leukemia, after receiving treatment at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. She had received bone marrow from her son, Zak, who then donated blood platelets
Platelet
Platelets, or thrombocytes , are small,irregularly shaped clear cell fragments , 2–3 µm in diameter, which are derived from fragmentation of precursor megakaryocytes. The average lifespan of a platelet is normally just 5 to 9 days...
and white blood cells. Maureen's four children, her 82-year-old mother, husband Tigrett and ex-husband Starr were all at her bedside when she died. Following her death, McCartney wrote the song "Little Willow" in her memory. The song appears on his 1997 album, Flaming Pie
Flaming Pie
Flaming Pie is an album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful The Beatles Anthology project. In Flaming Pies liner notes McCartney said: " reminded me of The Beatles'...
, with a dedication to her children.