Maureen Starkey Tigrett, née Mary Cox (4 August 1946–30 December 1994) was the first wife of Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) the drummer of the Beatles.
Early Life
Mary Cox was born on August 4, 1946 in Liverpool, England. She was
the only child of Joseph and Florence Cox. She left school at fourteen
to be a hairdresser, and at around this time changed her name to
"Maureen". To her friends, she was known as "Mo".
Knowing Ringo and courtship
At the age of fourteen, Maureen was interested in the Merseybeat
sound. She often visited the Cavern. In the Cavern, she met John
Brynne, who belonged to the group: "Rory Storm and The Hurricanes", and
they started dating. This lasted until 1962 when they broke up.
On seeing The Beatles regularly, she developed a crush on Ringo.
She asked Ringo for an autograph. About three weeks later Ringo began
noticing her and asked her for a dance at the cavern. Soon after this
they started dating.
Maureen was still going to the Cavern to observe the gigs of The Beatles. But this was sometimes dangerous.
In September 1963, Ringo invited her to go to Greece together with
Paul and his girlfriend (at the time) Jane Asher. Maureen went to Greece
without the permission of her parents, afraid that they would not give
her permission to go, but her parents ended up finding out through the
newspapers.
While not that loved by fans, Maureen answered the letters they wrote to Ringo.
The courtship of her and Ringo would end for a time in 1964 when,
since then, the Beatles were doing more and becoming more famous. When
Ringo was operated on his tonsils, Maureen went to visit. Ringo proposed
to Maureen in the hospital, and she accepted.
Marriage with Ringo
In January 1965, Maureen discovered she was pregnant. She was
eighteen at the time. There was no other option than to marry Ringo.
On February 11, 1965 at 8:00 am, Ringo and Maureen were married, at Caxton Hall Registry Office. The best man was Brian Epstein and the reception was at Brian's house.
Photo: Maureen and Ringo with their parents.On the left, the parents of Maureen. On the right, the parents of Ringo.
Children with Ringo
On September the 13th, 1965, Maureen gave birth to her first child,
Zak Richard Starkey, in the National Maternity Hospital in Queen
Charlotte. This was the same day the single "Yesterday" was published.
On August 19th, 1967, Jason Starkey was born. On November the 17th,
1970, Lee Parkin Starkey was born.
Starkey marriage problems
By the time Lee was born in 1970, Ringo had already aburido of all
and the marriage was already in trouble. When the Beatles broke up in
19701, so did the marriage Starkey; Ringo's infidelities and his
increasing alcoholism became a problem for the whole family. In 1972,
Starkey visited the Harrison. George, at the time (alcohol or drugs)
confessed how much he loved Maureen. (A rumour says Ringo proposed to
swap partners, IS JUST A RUMOUR). Maureen was a small affair with
George. Despite all the problems facing marriage, Maureen did not want a
divorce.
End of marriage to Ringo
Ringo insisted that it was better to divorce, so divorce Maureen
accept reluctantly. In July 1975, the couple separated at Ringo's affair
with the American model Nancy Andrews discovered.
Maureen life after the end of her marriage to Ringo
Maureen and Isaac. |
In the early 80s, Maureen began a relationship with the owner of the
Hard Rock Cafe, Isaac Tigrett. There was an attempt of reconciliation
between Maureen and Ringo when he finished with Nancy, but it was too
late because Ringo had been in love with his partner from the movie "The
Cavern", Barbara Bach. So Maureen return to the arms of Isaac.
In 1987, Maureen gave birth to her fourth child, Augusta Tigrett.
Ringo and Maureen became grandparents thanks to his son Zak in 1987.
The May 27, 1989, Isaac married Maureen and deciding to split his time between Los Angeles, California and Boston.
Last days of life and death
In the opening of "Houses Of Blues" Maureen suddenly fainted. At
first she was diagnosed with a mild anaemia, that would later become a
form of leukaemia called Mylodisplasia. She was admitted to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in October 1994. Hcicieron All physicians did everything they could to save her life, but unfortunately she lost the battle.
On December 30, 1994, Maureen Starkey Tigrett died at age 47 from
leukaemia. Her husband Isaac, her children, her mother and her
ex-husband were with her when she passed away. Ringo had had a chance to
tell her how much he had loved for the years they were together.
Paul McCartney wrote "Little Willow" in dedication to Maureen.
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