Just before they were launched into the stratosphere the Beatles replaced Pete Best with Ringo Starr.
From there on out Pete had to watch on as his former best friends found new levels of fame hitherto unknown by the world.
It sent him into a depression.
He reportedly didn’t leave the house for 2 weeks straight and attempted suicide.
For a long period of time Pete would not talk about the Beatles.
He got on with his ‘ordinary’ life. He worked away first loading vans then as a civil servant in a job centre.
He married a Woolworth’s sales clerk and within their 58 years (and counting) of marriage had two daughters and 4 grandchildren.
Then it seemed a shift had taken place and Pete was able to talk openly about his Beatles experience, eventually saying the quote:
“I’m happier than I would have been with the Beatles”
Now consider his former band mates and their struggles with fame.
In the early days their ‘independence seemed to vanish in the haze’ as they were confined to hotel rooms for fear of being mobbed.
Then as Beatlemania died down, fame took a nasty turn as Mark Chapman believed it was his divine mission to assassinate John.
George fearing a similar attack invested heavily in security and holed up in his mansion but his own crazed murderous lunatic eventually arrived and would have killed him if it wasn’t for Olivia Harrison’s intervention.
Paul is still mobbed to this day as James Corden’s carpool karaoke made clear and could Ringo be considered a recluse these days?
Before he died George spouted this profound quote:
“Like, we’re the Beatles after all, aren’t we? We have all the money you could ever dream of. We have all the fame you could ever wish for. But, it isn’t love. It isn’t health. It isn’t peace inside. Is it?“
As for their love lives each of the Beatles has at least one ex wife and were notorious for cheating on their romantic partners.
Which brings me to the question:
Did Pete find happiness before John, Paul, George and Ringo?
Thomas Duggan 