Zak Starkey accused of ‘character assassination'

Zak Starkey was just accused of “character assassination” by former pal Roger Daltrey.

The lead vocalist for Who, stated that the whole drama created over the drummer’s recent dismissal was "incredibly upsetting."

Starkey, who served the rock band for 29 years, from 1996 to 2025, was fired in April, after an onstage incident caused disruption during the band’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Having a conversation with the Times, Daltrey opened up about his perspective of the story and everything that has happened since.

He noted that the sound "is controlled by a guy on the side, and we had so much sub-bass on the sound of the drums that I couldn't pitch.”

"I was pointing to the bass drum and screaming because it was like flying a plane without seeing the horizon. So when Zak thought I was having a go at him, I wasn't. That's all that happened,” he clarified.

Speaking of the fallout that followed, Daltrey further mentioned, "It was kind of a character assassination, and it was incredibly upsetting.”

"Pete (Townshend) and I retain the right to be The Who. Everyone else is a session player," he concluded.

This comes after Who announced their farewell tour last month in Italy, under the title, The Song is Over, with Scott Devours taking over for Zak Starkey on drums.

"Well, all good things must come to an end," Townshend said when the tour was announced. "It is a poignant time."