Sir Ringo Starr doesn’t have any intention of slowing down.
The music legend celebrates his 80th birthday on Tuesday (07.07.20), but Ringo has insisted his passion for making music and touring remains as strong as ever, revealing he plans to "go on a lot longer than 80".
Ringo – whose band are called the All-Starrs – shared: "I’m playing actually more now than I ever did.
"With the All-Starrs we do one tour a year, now I’m doing two tours a year. And I have many blessings: family blessings, children blessings.
"I’ve got eight grandchildren now and a great-grandson. Life has been very kind to me. And we’re in a great business because we don’t have to retire; we can just go on as long as we can go on. And I plan to go on a lot longer than 80."
Ringo’s fame peaked during his time with the Beatles, when he "couldn’t go to a restaurant" without being mobbed by fans.
However, the music icon admits his life is much more calm these days and the coronavirus pandemic means he’s barely recognised when he leaves his house.
He told the BBC: "At the beginning, we wanted to make music, which we did.
"But we got so big the price to pay was that we couldn’t go to a restaurant. But now it’s eased off. We can go where we like. And thanks to the pandemic we’ve all got masks on so they don’t know me."
Despite this, Ringo admitted the Beatles remain a big part of his identity.
He said: "The Beatles are still relevant today to the next generation.
"If they’re interested in music they listen to our stuff. And to this day, thanks to Giles Martin, who’s remastering everything, I’m still playing it."