It might be hard to believe, but Ringo Starr just turned 80! The Beatles drummer celebrated his birthday on July 8, 2020.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he shared that something that keeps him super healthy is his vegetarian diet. “I work out, I’m a vegetarian, so a lot of broccoli’s in my diet, and I think that’s all it is, just keep moving!”
Ringo was only 22 when he left Rory and the Hurricanes and began drumming for the Beatles. He met the band in Hamburg, Germany, where Rory and the Hurricanes were also performing. One thing led to another, and soon history was made.
Ringo hosted a special birthday celebration on YouTube last night, and as part of his big virtual birthday party he decided to share footage of himself playing with Paul McCartney. The two reunited last year.
Ringo shares, “I went to Dodger Stadium last year and played with Paul. Though it’s never been out, never been seen.”
Ringo is also celebrating his most recent album, which features a song written by John Lennon. The song, titled “Grow Old With Me,” is one of the last songs that John ever wrote. He recorded the song as a demo in Bermuda in 1980, and it also appeared on John’s 1984 album, Milk and Honey.
The song had a special meaning for John: It was inspired by a Robert Browning poem called “Rabbi ben Ezra” and by his wife Yoko Ono’s song “Let Me Count the Ways.” Yoko’s song was inspired by a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and John and Yoko loved the work of the Brownings. So it’s a pretty special song for Ringo to include on his own record.
John and Yoko each recorded a version of the song, and John recorded his at home in their studio, on a cassette with a piano and rhythm box. The song is believed to be the last one that he ever recorded.