Ringo Starr Sells Hand Statues to Benefit Charity

Peace and love from a Beatle

Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr attends Ringo's Peace & Love Birthday Celebration at Beverly Hills Garden Park on July 07, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Look at enough photographs of Ringo Starr over the years and you’ll start to notice something — the onetime Beatle is fond of making the peace sign with his hand. As The Hollywood Reporter reported last year, Starr has a long-running tradition of making the sign at noon on his birthday each year as a way to support peace and love. He also donated a statue designed to popularize both peace and love to the city of Beverly Hills in 2019.

Starr’s personal gesture and public art aren’t the only ways his penchant for peace and love are manifesting themselves. As the BBC recently reported, Starr is now selling numerous statues of his hand making the gesture — with proceeds going to benefit the Lotus Foundation.

The Lotus Foundation, in turn, has a focus on “charitable projects aimed at advancing social welfare in diverse areas.” The life-sized statues aren’t the only project of Starr’s that’s benefited the Foundation; his book Lifted had a similar function.

As the BBC reported, the statues of Starr’s hand will come in two varieties. 250 will be made from stainless steel, and will cost $5,000. Another 250 will be made from bronze, and will cost $2,000. Both are being sold by Julien’s Auctions, and come with a certificate of authenticity. The statues can’t play the drums — but they are for a good cause.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.