The Who fire Zak Starkey… again!

The Who have parted ways with their drummer Zak Starkey, just one month after he was sacked and swiftly reinstated, The Guardian reports.

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Starkey has been the band’s drummer since 1996.

In an Instagram post on Monday, May 19, Pete Townshend announced that Starkey was no longer performing with The Who.

“After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change,” Townshend’s post read. “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”

Townshend went on to say that Scott Devours, from Roger Daltrey‘s solo band, will play drums on the tour instead.

Starkey responded shortly after Townshend, writing on Instagram:

“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie. I love the who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement ….quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox x To clarify ‘other projects’ yes I do have other projects and always have. The Who have been sporadic or minimalist in touring most years apart from a two extensive tours in 2000 and 2006/7

To be precise while I was in the who 1996-1999 I had other projects with Johnny Marr, Lightning Seeds and Mike Scott.

2000-2003 Johnny Marr and The Healers opening for oasis in Europe releasing album and 6 month world tour 2004-2008 Oasis 2 studio albums and 120live shows. 2006-2017 Pengu!Ns , Sshh touring internationally. Releasing 3 singles, Kasabian bbc proms 2007 Weller Coxon Starkey Mani.

2015 Hollywood Vampires Roxy LA shows and rock in Rio 2017-2020 Trojan Jamaica record label releasing three albums and winning Grammy for best reggae album 2020

2020 Peter Green Tribute Concert . As u see there has always been time for other projects … 2022-2025/now mantra of the cosmos with Shaun Ryder Bez Andy Bell and NG. Releasing singles but not touring cos members are so busy. None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them . The lie is or would have been that I quit the who- i didn’t. I love the who and everyone in it.”

Starkey was first fired from the band in April, but reinstated three days later.