Maureen Cox was a hairdresser in Liverpool and a regular at the Cavern Club, where the Beatles performed nearly 300 times. She developed a crush on the drummer, Ringo Starr, and they started dating in 1962 as the Beatles gained fame. She also worked as Ringo's secretary, answering letters sent from fans. Though they grew apart when Ringo moved to London and Maureen stayed in Liverpool, Ringo's bout with tonsillitis brought them close again in 1964, and they married in 1965. She was only 18 years old. They had a happy family, with two boys, Zak and Jason, and one girl, Lee. On her 22nd birthday, Ringo surprised Mo with a special recording of "The Lady Is A Tramp," rewrote to "Maureen Is A Champ," by Frank Sinatra, of whom she was a big fan.
After the Beatles broke up, though, their marriage started to have difficulties. Mo had a relationship with George Harrison, and Ringo was unfaithful, so they divorced in 1975. They stayed close over their children, though, and both remarried.
I thought I'd mention that Maureen married Isaac Tigrett, founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues, because I went to the Hard Rock in Orlando Universal and something cool happened. I was wearing my Beatles shirt, so the staff told me about this special Lennon/Beatles tour, so I took it. It was amazing! In the middle of it, a man walked through and talked to us who had worked at Hard Rock since its founding, and he had actually met Maureen multiple times, along with a few other Beatles and Beatle related people. It's pretty cool, to think there's only one degree of separation between me and Ringo's stylish first wife...!
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| Interesting mens' bathing suits.. |
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| George is looking fine... and Ringo and Mo are in the corner, so it counts. :) |
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| From "Something" |
(Photos from Maureen Cox Piczo and Women of the Beatles)
