Ringo Starr Has COVID-19, Multiple Concerts Canceled

It really does not come easy for Ringo Starr. The former Beatles drummer was forced to cancel seven tour dates after he tested positive for COVID-19. Starr, 82, and his All Starr Band previously postponed the dates from the summer, when two members of the group tested positive.

“It has been confirmed today that Ringo has Covid and his current All Starr tour will be on hold while he recuperates,” Starr’s team posted on Instagram Monday, alongside a new photo of Starr flashing peace signs out the window of a jet. “Ringo hopes to resume as soon as possible and is recovering at home. As always, he and the All Starrs send peace and love to their fans and hope to see them back out on the road soon,” his team wrote. They asked fans to check his website for more updates.

The concerts canceled are Oct. 1 at Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan; Oct. 2 at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota; Oct. 4 at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Oct. 5 at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Oct. 6 at Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta; Oct. 8 at Abbotsford Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia; and Oct. 9 at South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia.

Starr’s show at Four Winds Casino was canceled just hours before he was scheduled to take the stage. The casino’s staff said Starr was “sick” and was “hoping he could carry on, hence the late decision, but it has affected his voice.” At the time, the casino’s staff said Starr did not have COVID-19. Mystic Lake Casino staff issued a similar statement over the weekend.

The All Starr Band was set to tour over the summer, but they were forced to postpone the tour after Edgar Winter and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather tested positive for COVID. The current line-up also features Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, Average White Band guitarist Hamish Stewart, Kansas’ Warren Ham, and drummer Gregg Bissonnette. Starr’s website still lists tour dates from Oct. 11 to Oct. 20.

Starr’s legion of fans sent the Beatle plenty of “peace and love” while he recovers. “Get well soon Ringo,” one fan wrote. “God bless him, please be healthy soon Ringo,” another chimed in. “Ringo, I hope you get well soon, you are a very special person indeed.. your fans love you,” another person wrote.

Starr’s former Beatle bandmate, Paul McCartney, has also toured since the pandemic.Earlier this year, he performed in arenas across the U.S. and Canada. McCartney, 80, also performed at Glastonbury Festival in June. Starr and McCartney both recently added an Emmy to their large collections of awards after Peter Jackson’s Disney+ documentary The Beatles: Get Back won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.