Zak Starkey is no longer with The Who.

PEOPLE can reveal that the 59-year-old drummer, the son of The Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr and his first wife Maureen Starkey, has left the rock band after nearly 29 years.

“I’m very proud of my nearly 30 years with The Who,” Starkey tells PEOPLE in a statement issued on Wednesday, April 16. “Filling the shoes of my godfather, ‘Uncle Keith,’ has been the greatest honor, and I am still their biggest fan. “They’ve been like family to me.”

He said, “In January, I had a significant medical problem with blood clots in my right bass drum leg.” My drumming and running are now completely unaffected by this.

“After playing those songs with the band for so long, I’m shocked and upset that anyone would have a problem with my performance that night.” Starkey appeared to reference a Metro article where Roger Daltrey repeatedly expressed his inability to hear over the drumming during The Who’s Royal Albert Hall performance last month. “I intend to spend some much-needed time with my family and work on the May release of ‘Domino Bones’ by Mantra Of The Cosmos with Noel Gallagher, as well as the completion of my autobiography, which I wrote entirely. 29 years in any employment is a terrific long run, and I wish them the best.”

A representative for the rock band informed The Independent that the drummer’s resignation was a “collective decision” taken after their headline gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall last month.

“The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall,” according to the newspaper. “They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future.”

On Saturday, April 12, Starkey seemed to proactively release an Instagram message about his alleged resignation from the band.

Starkey stated that Daltrey, 81, was “unhappy” with his “overplaying.”

“HEARD TODAY FROM INSIDE SOURCE WITHIN WHOSE HORSES NOSE THAT ROGER DALTREY, LEAD SINGER AND PRINCIPAL SONGWRITER OF THE GROUP, UNHAPPY WITH ZAK THE DRUMMER’S PERFORMANCE AT THE ALBERT HALL A FEW WEEKS AGO, IS BRINGING FORMAL CHARGES OF OVERPLAYING AND IS LITERALLY GOING TO ZAK THE DRUMMER AND BRING ON A RESERVE FROM ‘THE BURWASH CARWASH SKIFFLE ‘N’ TICKLE GLEE CLUB. THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY WHOSE LONGTIME MANAGER WILLYA YOUWONTYOUKNOW,” he captioned the photo, which also included an image of himself and Roger Daltrey with the slogan “The Daily Who Breaking News.”

The Who’s representatives have yet to reply to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Starkey has been The Who’s full-time drummer since the 1996 Quadrophenia tour.

A Starkey spokesperson told The Independent that the separation was a “typical rock n roll falling out.”

“Healing can take time!” they explained. “Zak is without a doubt one of the UK’s greatest drummers, and his tutor was none other than the late Keith Moon!”

According to a Metro article from March 31, following The Who’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Daltrey, 81, had publicly stated multiple times that he was having difficulty hearing above the drumming.

“To sing that song, I do need to hear the key, and I can’t,” he informed the crowd, according to the magazine. “All I have are drums that go boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. “I apologize, guys.”

Starkey’s exit comes only months after he developed a blood clot in his leg, forcing him to miss a London show with his indie band Mantra of the Cosmos.

At the time, a band representative told media outlets that Starkey had been instructed to take blood thinners for two weeks and relax to prevent further clotting.