He was knighted two years ago, and in 2015 Ringo Starr became the fourth Beatle to be accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. Now the drummer can celebrate his 80th birthday, with just about every title the industry has to offer.

The world knows him as Ringo Starr, but his mother as Richard Henry Parkin Starkey. He was born in Liverpool on July 7, 1940, during World War II. Starr wasn't a co-founding member of the band that would change his life. The Beatles launched in 1960 as a quintet featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best on drums.

Just before the Beatles signed their first record deal in 1962, the band restructured. Bassist Stuart Sutcliffe quit, only to die tragically of an aneurysm shortly afterward. Then Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, ushering in a new era of rock and roll. Hits like "Love Me Do" took the world by storm — and everyone loved Ringo's drumming style.

It's not that common for a drummer to also sing, but for the hit "Yellow Submarine," Ringo took on the lead vocals. Fortunately, Paul McCartney kept the melody simple while writing the song. Ringo also tried his hand at songwriting, most famously with the number "Octopus's Garden" from the "Abbey Road" album.

Beatlemania reached its climax in the late 1960s. With one sold-out concert after another, the boys with the bowl cuts had become global superstars — but not necessarily the best of friends. In 1970, conflict between Paul and John caused the Beatles to break up. Ringo then took his career to the silver screen. In 1971 he had a role in the Italian spaghetti western "Blindman."

After so much stardom, Starr developed an interest in helping others and, for example, joined George Harrison's campaign for refugees following the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. On August 1 of that year, Ringo joined Harrison, Bob Dylan and Leon Russell at the Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Ringo went to the altar for the first time in 1965 when he married his girlfriend Maureen Cox. The two Liverpool natives had three children, Zak, Jason and Lee. Zak took after his father and is now a drummer with the band The Who. Ringo and Maureen divorced after 10 years. In 1980, Ringo met actress Barbara Bach (photo) on the film set for the movie "Caveman." They have been married since 1981.

When the Beatles split up in 1970, Paul and John launched solo projects. Ringo didn't lose any time in releasing two albums that year — one with pre-rock standards and the other a flirtation with country music. Since 1989, Ringo has been touring with his ensemble, Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band, pictured here.

Ringo continued to perform with all three Beatle buddies even after the band broke up. He released the George Harrison-produced hit single "It Don't Come Easy" in 1970, a top-10 hit in the US, Great Britain and Germany. Ringo and Paul McCartney are pictured here at a Grammy tribute concert to the Beatles in LA in 2014, which took place one day after the Grammy Awards.

"I like Beethoven, especially his poems," Ringo famously said. Then there's the quote: "America. It's like Britain, only with buttons." His frequently cited quotes reveal his quirky humor ⁠— and also his passion for drumming. After all, "Drumming is my middle name." (This is an updated version of a previously written picture gallery.)

After gaining world fame with the Beatles, George Harrison went on to enjoy success as a solo artist, as well as chart a personal spiritual path. Harrison takes 11th place on the list of the "100 best guitarists of all time" by the music magazine "Rolling Stone." Throughout his life, he was on a spiritual quest — one which decisively influenced his music.

George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943, in Wavertree, a suburb of the northern English port city of Liverpool. He went to the same primary school as the three-year-old John Lennon and later met Paul McCartney on the school bus — an encounter that would change his life and the world.

A friend of his father taught George the basics of playing guitar. He got his own first instrument at 13; today, it hangs as a memento behind glass. Coming of age in the heyday of rock 'n' roll, George, like many boys, dreamed of a career as a rock musician. In 1958, his friend Paul McCartney brought him into the band The Quarrymen, which had been founded by John Lennon two years earlier.

In 1960, The Quarrymen became The Beatles, though with a slightly different cast. That was the start of an incredible world career. George Harrison (center top) played lead guitar. The fact that John Lennon and Paul McCartney called the shots always rankled him. Harrison conceded that the two were a great duo — but they had egos to match, and there simply was no room for anyone else.

No matter where they showed up, the Fab Four from Liverpool unleashed a frenzy. Young girls fainted left and right, for instance during a 1966 Germany tour organized by the German teen magazine "Bravo." It was the only time the Beatles ever toured Germany.

While in The Beatles, George Harrison wrote quite a few songs, but for the most part, he couldn't get his material past Lennon and McCartney. Classic Beatles songs including "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" ("White Album," 1968), "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun" ("Abbey Road," 1969) were the exception.

For the first time in 1965, while shooting the movie "Help," Harrison held an instrument in his hands that was widely unknown in Europe: a sitar. Fascinated, he took lessons with Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar (above right). He played the instrument in the song "Norwegian Wood" (1965), starting a trend. In "Paint It Black" (1966), The Rolling Stones also played a sitar.

Harrison increasingly showed an interest in Indian culture. In 1966 The Beatles traveled to India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. While the other members of the band quickly lost interest, Harrison took it a step further and converted to Hinduism, subsequently joining the Hare Krishna movement. He also traveled on various occasions back to India, such as in 1996 (above).

On January 21, 1966, Harrison married Pattie Boyd, a photo model he met while shooting "Yeah Yeah Yeah." The above photo shows the young couple in Barbados. Back then, no one would have guessed that only six years later, Pattie would run away with George's best friend, Eric Clapton.

Unhappy with his role in the band, Harrison recorded a solo album in 1968, "Wonderwall Music." The Beatles split up two years later, and Harrison released "All Things Must Pass," a song that rose to the top of the charts in England and the US. He must have had 80 songs tucked away in a drawer that he never got to record with the Beatles, record producer Phil Spector said.

Many of Harrison's songs are about spirituality and the transience of life. In 1971, he organized a concert for Bangladesh to raise money for the victims of a devastating flood. It was a groundbreaking charity concert, featuring the likes of Bob Dylan (above right), Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar and Eric Clapton.

Friar Park, a mansion in Oxfordshire, was home for George Harrison, his second wife, Olivia, and their son, Dhani. In December 1999, a demented man entered the premises and attacked the musician with a knife. Harrison survived, severely injured.

Harrison had a few hits in the 80s and 90s, but then his life took a different turn. Records, films, TV performances — he lost interest and decided to let it all go, he said, adding these things are only meaningful to people who don't know where they are headed. Pictured above are letters and tapes of an unreleased song written for a friend that were auctioned in 2017.

George Harrison died of lung cancer on November 29, 2001. He was 58 years old. Eight years after his death, Hollywood gave him a star on the Walk of Fame. His former Beatles band colleague, Paul McCartney, his wife Olivia and their son, Dhani, turned out for the ceremony.