Ringo celebrated his 85th birthday at Beverly Gardens Park on July 7, 2025, in front of his “Peace and Love” sculpture. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

In August 1965, Beatlemania took hold of Los Angeles when the Fab Four descended upon Southern California to play two shows at the Hollywood Bowl. To avoid prying eyes that were common at hotels, the group rented a secluded mansion in Beverly Hills that was owned by diamond-clad Hollywood socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor. The brief visit had all the makings of a wild ‘60s story: an LSD trip with Peter Fonda and the Byrds, the creation of the psychedelic track “She Said She Said” and crazed teenage fans jumping from a helicopter into the mansion’s backyard pool. But the Beatles’ Beverly Hills vacation would also be the first visit for one future 90210 resident, Ringo Starr.

Today, Starr’s legacy is enshrined in Beverly Gardens Park with an 8-foot-tall, 800-pound chrome hand that flashes two extended fingers in a V sign and welcomes busloads of tourists from around the world. It was designed by Starr and unveiled in 2019 after he donated it to the city. The sculpture is a replica of Starr’s iconic peace sign hand gesture and represents his hopeful motto “Peace and Love.”

Each year, Starr celebrates his birthday on July 7 in the park, often with a little help from his friends. In 2025, when asked what he would say to his two late bandmates if they were there to wish him a happy 85th birthday, Starr – invoking his untroubled sense of humor – quipped, “What are you doing here?”

Starr laughed, before adding, “I’d say I love you man, and I miss you man, that’s what I’d say.”