Last week, news broke that The Who was parting ways with their longtime drummer Zak Starkey after some lackluster performances at London's Albert Hall a earlier this month. Starkey, who happens to be the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, seemed to confirm the news admitting he was "surprised and saddened" in a statement made to Rolling Stone.

However, over the weekend, Pete Townsend made his own statement on behalf of the band that revealed Starkey is "not being asked to step down from The Who."

"There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily," he wrote on X. "Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed."

He went on to explain what happened that caused the confusion, putting a lot of the blame himself. "I take responsibility for some of the confusion," the guitarist admitted. "Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!"

"Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with," Townsend continued. "Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer."

"We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over," he added bluntly. "We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies."

He then addressed the rumor that Roger Daltrey's solo drummer Scott Devours was being asked to replace Starkey. "As for Roger, fans can enjoy his forthcoming solo shows with his fabulous drummer, Scott Devours, who it was rumoured might replace Zak in The Who and has always been supportive of the band," Townsend noted. "I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug."

Starkey became The Who’s full-time drummer during their Quadrophenia Tour in 1996. The band is set to perform in Italy this summer. Read Townsends' full statement below.

Deanna King