Ringo Starr Reveals the Real Reason The Beatles Turned Down $250 Million Reunion Offer
The Beatles were a huge sensation in the ’60s, earning numerous hits, a string of successful albums, and a legion of adoring fans. But at the height of their popularity in 1970, the band broke up.
Fans hoped the group would one day reunite, but it sadly never happened. However, there were some offers on the table. In a recent interview, famed drummer Ringo Starr recalled one particular offer worth $250 million, but he said he and his bandmates decided to turn it down due to a pretty bizarre stipulation.
Ringo Starr’s comments on The Beatles reunion
Ringo Starr had been talking to The Sunday Mirror earlier in July when he mentioned the offer made to him and group members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.
According to the drummer, showman Bill Sargent tried to get them back together in 1975 with a deal worth $250 million in today’s dollars. But after learning the opening act would feature a fight between a man and a great white shark, they decided not to go forward with it.
“We did talk one time. There was a crazy offer out there,” he explained. “We called each other to see what we think. We decided not to do it because the opening act was a guy biting a shark. So we thought no.”
By the time another possibility of a reunion came up, tragedy had struck
Ringo Starr went on to say that they probably would have gotten back together had the group not lost two of its members, referencing Lennon, who was shot to death in December 1980, and Harrison, who died of cancer in November 2001.
“If John and George had not died there was surely a possibility of that,” Ringo Starr said of a possible reunion. “Paul and I are still on the road. John would have still been on the road. I don’t know about George. We’d still be doing what we love to do. Maybe separately, maybe together. Nobody knows.”
There was a lot of tension between The Beatles before they disbanded
Elsewhere in the interview, the iconic drummer also spoke on the band’s decision to break up. Looking back, he said he had no idea their universally acclaimed eleventh album, Abbey Road (1969), would be their last.
“When we finished Abbey Road I did not walk away thinking that’s the last album,” he explained. “I thought, ‘We’ll be back in how many months and we’ll do another.’ Between times we did actually break. No one went away thinking ‘That’s it.’ … I didn’t think it would be the last time we’d ever tour together either.”
But the group had started to clash over musical and personal differences and ultimately decided to walk away from their working relationship.
Although it might not be the outcome Ringo Starr expected, he has continued to enjoy success as a solo artist.
Read more: Ringo Starr: How Much Is the Beatles Legend Worth?
