Starr was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last night (April 18)

Yoko Ono has paid tribute to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's latest inductee Ringo Starr by dubbing the drummer "the most influential Beatle".

Starr became the final member of the group to be inducted as a solo artist in his own right at last night's ceremony at Cleveland's Public Hall, which saw Paul McCartney give a speech about his former bandmate. Also present was Ono, who made the surprising declaration about the 'It Don't Comes Easy' singer to Rolling Stone.

"No one is probably going to believe it but he was the most influential Beatle," said Ono, who also expressed her delight that Starr was joining his fellow Fab Four members in the Hall Of Fame. "For some reason John got it, then George got it, then Paul got it," she said. "So why didn't they think about Ringo?"

In his own speech last night, Starr mentioned the lengthy wait: "You know, it's a great honour to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I was doing the press and they're all saying, 'Well, why did you wait so long?' It has nothing to do with me. You have to be invited. But anyway, apparently I'm invited and I love it."

Ono also acknowledged Starr's kind personality: "John would go up and down and all that," she said, "but Ringo was always just very gentle. And he really believed in peace and love."

Lou Reed, Joan Jett, Green Day, Bill Withers, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the "5" Royales all joined Starr as the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class of 2015.