Ringo Starr's tense relationship with famous son who was fired from The Who

When Zak Starkey was sacked from his role as The Who's drummer, not once but twice, in May this year following a dispute with frontman Roger Daltrey , his father The Beatles legend Ringo Starr leapt to his defence. Zak told Rolling Stone that Ringo had backed him after the split reportedly saying: "I've never liked the way that little man [Daltrey] runs that band." While it might seem usual for a father to defend his son, the pair weren't always on such good terms that Ringo would feel inclined to stand up for his offspring.

Indeed at one point Ringo, 85, threw Zak, 59, whose mother is the music legend's first wife Maureen, out of the family home. He addressed it in The Beatle: The Authorised Biography by Hunter Davies saying: "Oh, (we had) the usual, parent-child rows...I always loved him, I know that, but I didn't always like his attitude. It didn't get very friendly, living all together. In the end, I threw him out after a row. It was all stupid and trivial. We just began to feel that we were being ignored by this teenager. He would eat and sleep at home, but not talk to us at all. So I chucked him out."

For his part, Zak claimed he spent more time with his father's friend, the original The Who drummer Keith Moon, growing up than with his dad.

"To be perfectly honest, being Ringo's son is the biggest drag in my life. I'm always written about as Ringo's son, always classed in with him in every single thing I do...," he said as a teenager. "And if I do get successful, I don't want to live like my old man, on a big estate and all that. My old man was never there. During my puberty, Moonie was always there with me while my old man was far away in Monte Carlo or somewhere."

In an interview with Modern Drummer in 2006 he further opened up about his relationship with Keith, who died in September 1978 at the age of 32.

"Keith was like an uncle, really," he said. "He was one of my dad's best friends. When my brother, sister, and I used to stay with my dad (following his parents 1975 divorce), we would occasionally spend a few days at Keith's house. Keith was the babysitter. We would just hang out and talk about anything, really - girls, surfing, bands, drums. He was a really fantastic guy to hang out with."

Zak also struggled with a lack of encouragement and heavy criticism from Ringo when he began to follow in his footsteps pursuing a career as a drummer.

Speaking to The Sunabout their relationship earlier this year, Zak reflected: "My dad never opened the doors for me.

"He'd watch me and say the most cutting f***ing s**t. But he is the greatest rock 'n' roll drummer in the world. He's better now than he was then."

Despite their issues in the past the pair now enjoy a close relationship and have often collaborated on projects. Zak joined his father on stage for his 70th birthday in 2010, and he has toured with Ringo's All-Starr Band initially guesting with them in 1989 before joining them for tours in 1992 and 1995. Although Ringo said in the past he wanted his children to have a normal life, it appears he has finally embraced Zak's choices.