George Harrison, the Beatles’ quiet lead guitarist and spiritual explorer who added both rock ‘n’ roll flash and a touch of the mystic to the band’s timeless magic, has died. He was 58. Harrison died at 1:30 p.m. yesterday (Nov. 29) at a friend’s Los Angeles home following a battle with cancer, longtime friend Gavin De Becker said late yesterday. Harrison’s wife, Olivia Harrison, and son Dhani, 24, were with him.
“He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and at peace, surrounded by family and friends,” the Harrison family said in a statement. “He often said, `Everything else can wait but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.'”
With Harrison’s death, there remain two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. John Lennon was shot to death by a deranged fan in 1980. “I am devastated and very, very sad,” McCartney told reporters outside his London home today. “He was a lovely guy and a very brave man and had a wonderful sense of humor.”
“George has given so much to us in his lifetime and continues to do so even after his passing, with his music, his wit and his wisdom,” Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, said today. In a statement issued from Vancouver, Starr said, “we will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music, and his sense of laughter.”
It wasn’t immediately known if there would be a public funeral for Harrison. A private ceremony had already taken place, De Becker said. He wouldn’t release details about the ceremony or say at whose home Harrison died.
In 1998, Harrison disclosed that he had been treated for throat cancer. “It reminds you that anything can happen,” he said at the time. The following year, Harrison survived an attack by an intruder who stabbed him several times. In July 2001, he released a statement asking fans not to worry about reports that he was still battling cancer.
The Beatles were four distinct personalities joined as a singular force in the rebellious 1960s, influencing everything from hair styles to music. Whether dropping acid, exploring Eastern mysticism, proclaiming “All You Need Is Love,” or sending up the squares in the film “A Hard Day’s Night,” the Beatles inspired millions.
Harrison’s guitar work, modeled on Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins among others, was essential. He often blended with the band’s joyous sound, but also rocked out wildly on “Long Tall Sally” and turned slow and dreamy on “Something.” His jangly 12-string Rickenbacker was featured in “A Hard Day’s Night.”
Although his songwriting was overshadowed by the great Lennon-McCartney team, Harrison did contribute such classics as “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something.” Harrison also taught the young Lennon how to play the guitar.
He was known as the “quiet” Beatle and his public image was summed up in the first song he wrote for them, “Don’t Bother Me,” which appeared on the group’s second album. But Harrison also had a wry sense of humor that helped shape the Beatles’ irreverent charm. At their first recording session under George Martin, the producer reportedly asked the young musicians to tell him if they didn’t like anything. Harrison’s response: “Well, first of all, I don’t like your tie.”
He was even funny about his own mortality. As reports of his failing health proliferated, Harrison recorded a new song — “Horse to the Water” — and credited it to “RIP Ltd. 2001.” told Billboard editor-in-chief Timothy White in January. “It’s interesting, and it’s amazing, ’cause I’ve been out a couple of nights lately where there’s been a lot of people, and there’s lot of young people who are just so into it. It’s great, it’s really good, because you see kids who are 5, 6, and 17 — that whole span — and they genuinely like it.”
At Harrison’s mansion near London, fans left bunches of roses and lilies. Fans in New York began gathering before dawn today at Strawberry Fields, a section of Central Park created in memory of Lennon, who was shot outside his apartment nearby.
Copyright 2001 Billboard.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
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