Ringo Starr Becomes a Granddad

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr “is delighted” to become the first member of the Fab Four to become a grandfather, a spokeswoman said Monday.

The 45-year-old Starr, who rocketed to fame as one of the four mop-topped lads from Liverpool in the 1960s, became a grandfather over the weekend when his daughter-in-law gave birth to a healthy 7-pound, 2-ounce girl, marking a new milestone as the Beatles advance into middle age.

“He’s absolutely thrilled to little pieces,” Ringo’s secretary, Joan Woodgate, said. “When he phoned me, he was absolutely delighted. The mother and baby are both doing fine.”

Ringo, the oldest of the Beatles, was one of the first to visit the baby along with his 19-year-old son, Zak, the baby’s father.

Zak got married in a secret ceremony last January and lives with his wife, Sarah, in a cottage on his father’s 79-acre estate, 20 miles west of London.

Woodgate said the baby, named Tatia Jayne, was born Saturday at a hospital near the estate.

Zak, who uses his father’s real name of Starkey, is the son of Ringo’s first wife, Maureen. He is also a drummer, playing in session work.