Ringo Starr, 84, Still Feels 24: I Never Get Older

Ringo Starr turns 85 on July 7, but the former Beatles drummer doesn't feel a day over 24.

Speaking with The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday, Starr said that the milestone birthday "blows me away." 

"I look in the mirror and I'm 24. I never got older than 24," he said.

"I love what I'm doing," he added when asked how he maintains his vitality.

"When I first started...my mother would come to the gigs. She would always say, 'You know, son, I always feel you're at your happiest when you're playing your drums.' So she noticed. And I do," he said. "I love to hit those buggers."

Concluding the interview, Starr said he enjoys being spontaneous. 

"I live in the now," he said. "I didn't plan any of it. I love that life I'm allowed to live."

Last year, Starr was forced to cancel the remaining shows of his U.S. tour due to illness.

The announcement was made in a statement posted to Instagram hours before he was set to take to the stage in Philadelphia. At the time, it was revealed that he had come down with a cold but was advised by doctors to cancel the shows. The ordeal spurred speculation of a pending retirement.

In a March interview with People, Starr opened up about the possibility of retiring, saying that he has mentioned it to his family several times but then backtracked on his own words, much to the annoyance of his kids. 

"Sometimes when I finish a tour, I'm like, 'That's the end for me.' And all my children say, 'Oh, Dad, you've told us that for the last 10 years.' And they get fed up with me," Starr told the outlet. "I do feel, 'Oh, that's got to be enough,' and then I get a phone call: 'We've got a few gigs if you're interested.' Okay, we're off again!"

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