Original Beatles drummer Pete Best has announced his retirement: “I had a blast. Thank you”
Pete Best, the original drummer in The Beatles, has officially retired.
Best was originally signed with the three long-standing members of The Fab Four – John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison – but he was let go by manager Brian Epstein and replaced by Ringo Starr in August 1962. A letter written by Epstein confirming his sacking recently went up for auction.
The sticksman has since appeared at conventions and played live with The Pete Best Band, which included his brother Roag Best. They were due to play a show at the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Mathew Street in August but his brother has confirmed that the 83-year-old has now stood down.
He wrote on X: “Well what an absolutely wonderful ride we’ve had. However, everything comes to pass. My brother Pete Best has announced today he is retiring from personal appearances and performing with the group. His daughter has informed me it’s due to personal circumstances.”
I had a blast. Thank you. https://t.co/p9dRTpwBV1
— Pete Best (@BeatlesPeteBest) April 6, 2025
Best reposted his tweet, and wrote: “I had a blast. Thank you.”
Last year, the duo turned a venue that hosted some of the earliest Beatles performances into an Airbnb.
Located at 8 Haymans Green, West Derby, Liverpool, The Casbah Coffee Club saw the Fab Four perform over 40 times during the start of their career and a further 13 times by The Quarrymen. The venue was first opened in 1956 in the basement of Best’s family home by his mother Mona.
The duo have been working on converting the house since 2020 and it is now a five-apartment Airbnb. You can book a reservation here.
Each room – located above the club – was turned into a suite and has been named after an original Beatle, including Lennon, McCartney, Best and the band’s first bass player Stuart Sutcliffe.
Although there is no Ringo Starr suite, Best previously shared that there was no bad blood between the two.
Meanwhile, Lennon’s half-sister recently said that an actor from Liverpool should play him in the forthcoming Beatles biopics, directed by Sam Mendes.
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Damian Jones
NME
