On August 16, 1962 Pete Best was asked by The Beatles‘ manager, Brian Epstein, to leave the band. Shortly after Best was sacked, they hired Ringo Starr, completing the legendary line-up of the Fab Four fans know and love today. Best’s sacking may have been a long-time coming, however.

In Starr’s biography – Ringo: With a Little Help – author Michael Seth Starr (no relation) revealed: “His personality slowly drove a wedge between Pete and his fellow Beatles.

“Best was moody and distant, didn’t seem to share the same sense of humour as his Beatle brethren and, more often than not, kept to himself after a show rather than banter with the guys.” (sic)

The distance Best kept between himself and the rest of the band may have been the final nail in the coffin for the drummer.

Paul McCartney was even quoted in saying Best was “different” to thd rest of the band.

READ MORE: The Beatles: Ringo Starr’s reaction to replacing Pete Best

McCartney explained: “Pete had never quite been like the rest of us. We were the wacky trio and Pete was perhaps a little more… sensible.

“He was slightly different from us, he wasn’t quite as artsy as we were. And we just didn’t hang out that much together.”

When Best was eventually kicked out of the band, however, The Beatles’ original fans were not too happy.

The Liverpudlian drummer had accumulated quite the fanbase in his hometown, who did not care for Starr’s arrival.

Seth Starr wrote: “Pete had been an extremely popular Beatle.

“Despite his ex-band mates’ misgivings about his drumming ability and his personality, the group’s female fans, in particular, dug Pete’s brooding good looks.”

Ringo wrote: “There were riots! Pete had a big following, but I had been known for years in Liverpool, so I had quite a following, too.

“So there was this whole shouting match: ‘Ringo never, Peter forever,’ and: ‘Pete never, Ringo forever.’ There was this whole battle going on, and I’m just trying to drum away.”

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Ringo was also quoted in saying: “Pete Best? – it’s no offence, but I never felt he was a great drummer.” (Via Culture Sonar)

Years later, in The Beatles: Anthology John Lennon spoke candidly about making the decision to axe Best from the line-up.

Surprisingly, he showed some remorse in doing so.

He said: “We were cowards when we sacked him. We made Brian do it.”

McCartney also chimed in, saying: “I do feel sorry for him, because of what he could have been on to.”

George Harrison later added: “We weren’t very good at telling Pete he had to go.

“Historically, it may look like we did something nasty to Pete and it may have been that we could have handled it better.”

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