Early Beatles Drummer Passes Away: Andy White, Caldwell Resident

If you’re a Beatles fan, you know why Ringo Starr’s temporary replacement, Andy White, will be missed.

The Caldwell resident and percussionist, best known for providing the beat for “Love Me Do” in 1962, passed away on Monday at his home after suffering a stroke.

He was 85-years-old.

While White has worked with other big-name musicians in the past – Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, Billy Fury, Tom Jones – his most enduring legacy may be as the drummer who replaced Ringo Starr on the album version of “Love Me Do.”

According to published reports, the experienced session drummer had already been working with EMI Studios when he was called into the studio in 1962 to sit in for Starr at the behest of producer George Martin on “Love Me Do.”

White went on to record the version of the beloved song that appeared on the Beatles’ debut album, “Please Please Me,” while Starr was relegated to playing tambourine in the background.

His fee for the session? A meager £5 with no royalties.

“He didn’t talk about it very much, except to joke about it,” his wife, Thea White, told the Associated Press. “He liked to say: ‘It could have been anybody. It just happened to be me.’”

Video via Inform, Inc.