Brain cancer survivor Alexx Kipp, who also suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, reached out to the rocker through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The pair chatted and played the drums together at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles. The drumming legend then suprised his fan with the black and white drum set.

The event was the kickoff of a new partnership between the two organizations designed to help Make-A-Wish accommodate even more requests than the 14,000 it grants in the U.S. each year, about 900 of those involving celebrities.

Alexx, who has been playing drums since he was eight, had wanted to meet Ringo for several years. In 2010 his family approached the charity to try and grant Alexx his wish.

The drummer had the following to say about his involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses:

"It's huge. It puts you in your place. You think you've got a cold - you're all, 'Oh, what about me?' Then you help these kids. You think of the families. I've got children too, and it's got to be hard."

Other celebrities to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation include Pamela Anderson and P Diddy.