Despite being a bit of a recluse these days, Ringo Starr has proven he still suckles at the teet of human kindness with the news he thrilled a 17-year-old brain cancer survivor and fellow drummer with a meeting and a gift of a pristine set of Ludwig drums.
The LA Times reports on the event, which occurred last week in Hollywood, CA. Young Alexx Kipp is a long-time Beatles fan and has held a burning desire to meet his drumming idol, 70-year-old Starr. The event was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in partnership with Hard Rock International, who used the meeting to kick off a new joint program to grant similar wishes from over 14,000 sick youngsters.
The LA Times features Ringo pictured next to a beaming Kipp, with the former Beatle reportedly remarking, “You like those drums?”, to which a star-struck Kipp replied “Hell yeah!”
‘”They’re yours”, Starr replied to the young man, who also suffers from Tourette’s syndrome. Kipp and his parents had been flown in to California all the way from Arlington, Virginia especially for the meeting.
Ringo, who as a child suffered various serious health problems of this own, makes rare appearances in public these days, and who could forget his strange rant in 2008 telling his fans to leave him the hell alone, answering the question of what it would have sounded like if Thomas the Tank Engine (who he famously voiced) got really cross. Check it out:
