TMS Muse of the Week: Maureen Starkey

(Apple Corp. / Disney+)

Last month during my MOTW piece on Winona Ryder, I mentioned both her and her character in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988) have consistently been a favorite of young goth girls. While she’s definitely near the top of my list for fave goth ladies, another of my all-time favorites isn’t even really goth—although she fit the aesthetic plenty of times. Maureen Starkey—or Maureen Starr, or Maureen Cox. First wife of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and mother of future drummer, Zak Starkey. Though not a legitimate celebrity in her own right, most Beatle fanatics know who Mo is. An ordinary girl from Liverpool with a background in hair & make-up, Maureen was already connected to the legendary pop-rock band when the guys were still playing local clubs in the early 1960s. Amusingly, her first Beatle kiss was actually with Paul, but it was clear the real spark was between the beautician and the percussionist. What makes Maureen a little more interesting than Cynthia Lennon, and less traditional than Pattie Boyd and Jane Asher; was her styling always being a bit darker and edgier than the average young woman in the ‘60s. Raven hair, black eyeliner and mascara, and usually an equally dark wardrobe. The only other woman who might have fit for a comparison was Carolyn Jones on ABC’s “The Addams Family” (1964-66).

When I was turning into a Beatle fangirl in 11th grade, naturally I was fascinated by Jane and Pattie, like most of the band’s modern teen fangirls. But something about Mo’s unique style caught my attention and made me realize, if I were a famous person—especially in the mid-20th century, I would probably dress like Maureen. She looked cool and confident, but also not too glamorous or chic. Basically her own thing. It’s no shock she had origins in fashion and a salon gig that she unfortunately had to give up in 1963 once the public got wind of who the girlfriend of the most famous drummer in the world was. But by January 1965, the couple were married, with Maureen expecting their first child [Zak], and jealous tween fangirls had to accept one of their fave’s girls wasn’t going anywhere.

(Henry Grossman)

Maureen was only 19 when she became a wife and mother, and even though Ringo supported her picking up her beauty career again in the future, she chose to focus on their family; which later included second son Jason [b. 1967] and daughter Lee [b. 1970]. Maureen did personally manage her famous husband’s fanmail for the rest of the decade, however. She also surprised fans and friends by deciding to dye her hair blonde in 1967-69 before going back to her recognizable black before the decade ended. The promo video for the Beatles’ 1969 single ‘Something’ features the bandmates and their wives, where Pattie, Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney all appear comfortable in front of the camera. But Maureen has this adorable naivety and unfamiliarity that makes her stand out compared to the others.

While the early years of the Starr marriage were exciting and glamorous from Beatlemania perks, the later years in the early 1970s were sadly a bit downbeat for the couple. Ringo developed a drinking problem, Maureen started suffering episodes of depression, both became guilty of infidelity [including a dalliance between Mo and Beatle George Harrison]. Maureen later admitted she stalled on filing for a divorce because by that point, she had spent her whole adult life co-dependent with a husband, and wasn’t sure if she knew how to live life independently. The pair separated in 1975, but fortunately came around to being friendly again by the time Ringo married second and current wife Barbara Bach and Maureen was with her second husband, Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of the Hard Rock Café and House of Blues. The 1980s started well for Maureen, getting a second wind and conceiving a child, daughter Augusta, with Isaac in 1987. But things came to a somber end when Maureen passed in 1994 at only 48 from leukemia. Even in her last years, she was still on good terms with Ringo and her friends from the Beatle days; which is most recognizable on Paul’s 1997 album ‘Flaming Pie,’ featuring a track called ‘Little Willow’ dedicated to Mo.

Maureen is part of that very niche group of celebrities which only a specific demographic is aware of [in this case, Beatles fans]. You can find her in the band’s ITV docuseries “Anthology” (1995-96) and most recently in Peter Jackson’s 2021 epic three-part mini-series “Get Back,” where viewers instantly noticed Maureen’s dark and aloof presence. Time has proven, just like the Beatles’ classic legacy, the lady is still a part of pop culture history and one of the coolest women I know of.