LATEST: RINGO STARR is backtracking after upsetting fans with an online rant about the amount of items he's asked to autograph.
The former Beatle threatened to throw away requests he gets for his signature after 20 October (08) in a recent video message, claiming he hasn't got time to deal with the piles of letters he receives.
In a 40-second video posted on his website, Starr said, "I want to tell you after the 20th of October please do not send fanmail to any address you have. Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that is the date on the envelope, it's gonna be tossed." But, after upsetting fans, Starr has chosen to back down.
In a new statement, the rocker insists the 'ban' on fanmail was “in direct response to an inordinate amount of items which have recently appeared for sale on (memorabilia auction website) eBay, and to those that repeatedly send cards and items to be signed.” He adds, “(It's) a waste of paper and we all should be mindful of our carbon footprint.” Starr insists the video message wasn’t aimed at his “real fans” who have acknowledged that he “has always signed items and is in fact the only Beatle to have been doing so.” The drummer admits he was "amazed" by the public and media reaction to his video message, and urges fans to "read this in a mellow way."