Zak Starkey has spoken out about his apparent firing from The Who after a nearly 30-year run, saying in a statement that he was shocked to hear that, according to reports, singer Roger Daltrey had taken issue with his playing at a recent Royal Albert Hall show in London.

Drummer Zak Starkey said he is “surprised and saddened” in his first comments since he was kicked out of the Hall of Fame rock band The Who.

The Who have parted ways with drummer Zak Starkey just three weeks after they played a pair of shows with him at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Rolling Stone has confirmed. He has performed with them at practically every concert they’re played since he joined the band in 1996, and he appears on 2006’s Endless Wire and 2019’s Who.