Ringo Starr's Wife Barbara Bach First Saw Her Future Husband as a Teenager at a Beatles Concert

Jordan Runtagh

25 September 2017 at 9:00 am

<p><span>Ringo Starr</span> first became close with his future wife, actress Barbara Bach, in 1980 when they costarred in the film comedy <em>Caveman</em>. But in a <span>recent interview with PEOPLE in support of his</span> new album <span><em>Give More Love</em></span>, the rock icon explained that their paths had actually crossed long before that—although from afar.</p>

<p>“Barbara and her sister Marjorie were at Shea Stadium to see <span>the Beatles</span>,” Starr tells PEOPLE, referring to a legendary performance at the New York City baseball stadium on Aug. 15, 1965. “I was shocked! Who knew?” Bach, then just 17, joined the crowd of over 50,000 at what was the biggest concert ever held at the time.</p>

<p><span>Speaking to PEOPLE in 1981</span>, Bach admitted that she wasn’t exactly a raging Beatlemaniac. “I liked [Bob] Dylan, Ray Charles and the Rolling Stones,” she revealed. So how’d Bach wind up at a show with the Fab Four? She was acting as chaperone for her younger sister, Marjorie, who was “crazy about the Beatles.” So much so that she even came in costume! “Marjorie had a Beatle wig on,” Starr adds now.</p>

<p>Adding another twist, Marjorie later married Eagles guitar god <span>Joe Walsh</span>—who was also at the Shea Stadium date. “He tried to marry me but he had to settle for my wife’s sister,” Starr cracks. But that’s not the only coincidence: <span>Paul McCartney</span>’s future wife <span>Linda Eastman</span> was <em>also</em> in attendance!</p>

<p>It would take almost 15 years for Bach and Starr to meet properly. According to Starr, he started falling for the actress, already a famous face from her starring role in the James Bond film <em>The Spy Who Loved Me</em>, the moment she arrived at the airport in Los Angeles to join the cast of <em>Caveman</em>. The production moved to Mexico, where the pair played the part of lovers before the camera. Although they were both romantically involved with other partners, the sparks would extend off screen.</p>

<p>Speaking to PEOPLE in 1981, Starr admits that it wasn’t until the end of the shoot “that we said hello for the first time properly. Five days later—it’s in me book, it was a Sunday afternoon—I was in love with the woman.” Even a script supervisor couldn’t resist exclaiming, “Look, they’re in love!” one day when they strolled onto the set. “On April 27 he told me he loved me,” Bach previously told PEOPLE.</p>

<p>The new couple faced a major setback a short time later, when they were involved in a harrowing car accident. After swerving to avoid a truck on a road outside of London, Starr’s Mercedes 350SL knocked over two light posts before flipping over twice. The near-death experience brought them even closer together. “We decided we wouldn’t spend any time apart,” he told PEOPLE in 1981. “So far the longest break was five days, and that was too long. I want to live every minute with Barbara.”</p>

<p>The Beatle and the Bond girl were <span>married in London on April 27, 1981</span>. The reception was a mini Beatles reunion, including guests Paul McCartney and George Harrison, plus their wives and family. Tragically, John Lennon had been murdered on the streets of New York City less than five months earlier. The surviving friends had a loose jam session at Mayfair club: McCartney on piano, Harrison on guitar and Starr drumming on an upturned ice bucket with a knife and fork. Reportedly, they played the Beatles' classic "All You Need Is Love."</p>

<p>Their bond was further strengthened after receiving drug and alcohol treatment together at the Sierra Tucson Rehabilitation Clinic in October 1988. The choice helped reignite Starr's music career after years of neglect. "I didn’t tour in the ‘80s, and not a lot in the ‘70s. I sort of got involved in a lot of substances and they became more important than anything else," he told PEOPLE. "Then in ‘88 I ended up in rehab and in ’89 I put the first <span>All-Starr Band</span> together. I got back on track, and that’s what I’ve done ever since." Since getting clean, the couple have both become avowed vegetarians and established a number of organizations to help those struggling with addiction. </p>

<p>On his new album <span><em>Give More Love</em></span>, Starr, now 77, dedicates the track "Show Me the Way" to Bach. "After all this time we’ve had to share/The better life I’ve had ‘cos your still there/I need to show you just how much I care," he sings in tribute to his wife of 36 years. </p>

Ringo Starr's Wife Barbara Bach Attended Beatles Concert

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