Ringo Starr cancels the rest of his tour after contracting COVID-19 for the second time

14 October 2022, 11:45

Ringo Starr has had to cancel his tour, again.
Ringo Starr has had to cancel his tour, again. Picture: Alamy

By Thomas Curtis-Horsfall

He's not had the best of luck in recent weeks.

Especially as Ringo Starr announced he's caught COVID-19 for a second time in just a fortnight.

As the former Beatle recovers from his second bout with the virus, the remaining five dates of his current North American tour have also been cancelled.

Ringo first tested positive for COVID-19 at the start of October, which forced the drummer to cancel seven shows between Michigan and British Columbia.

After making a recovery, he returned to the road in spectacular fashion with the All-Starr Band, performing in Seattle and then Portland.

His comeback was sadly premature however, as Ringo confirmed he's tested positive once again.

"I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was" he wrote in a post shared on his social media profiles, disappointing his fans by confirming that “the rest of the tour is off".

Ringo and his All-Starr Band were scheduled to play three more shows in the US (San Jose, Paso Robles and Los Angeles) before the cancellation, before wrapping up the tour over two nights in Mexico City.

It’s not quite clear yet whether Starr plans to reschedule those dates - for the time being, his calendar is completely empty so it seems likely.

His latest bout of COVID-19 marks the third time that Ringo's North American tour has been disrupted by the virus.

Back in June, he postponed a handful of shows with the All-Starr Band after two of its members – keyboardist Edgar Winter and guitarist Steve Lukather – both tested positive for COVID-19.

Ringo celebrated his 82nd birthday in 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Ringo celebrated his 82nd birthday in 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images). Picture: Getty

At the time Ringo said: "We are so sorry to let the fans down. It’s been wonderful to be back out on the road and we have been having such a great time playing for you all."

"But as we all know, [COVID-19] is still here and despite being careful these things happen."

Ringo has been performing a host of classic tracks on his recent tour, including songs from his latest solo album What’s My Name and his recent EPs Zoom In, Change The World and EP3.

Despite his second battle with COVID-19 in only a matter of weeks, Ringo seems in good spirits and will hopefully make a full recovery.