Ringo Starr holds birthday party as he turns 70

Ringo Starr has celebrated his 70th birthday with a little help from his friends in New York.

Standing before a large birthday cake surrounded by dozens of cookies iced with peace signs, the former Beatle blew out a single candle as friends and family members sang 'Happy Birthday'.

The 70-year-old, who shows no sign of slowing down, says he is still full of energy: "It's really impossible to say how it feels to be 70 because yesterday I was only 69, so you know, nothing's really happened, the clock has ticked and I'm a day older".

So what do you get one of the world's most famous musicians for his birthday? Starr said he didn't want any gifts, just a universal declaration of 'peace and love'.

Two years ago, he began asking his fans to say "Peace and Love" at noon on his birthday, wherever they were.

For fans hoping Starr might turn his energy into a new round of touring this fall, the drummer made no promises. He is already playing some tour dates in the United States and Canada through August.

He said: "I'm touring, I'm having a holiday, and I'll be back in Europe and that's as far as I'm going," he said.