2001 - George Harrison succumbs to lung cancer at age 58. Nicknamed "the Quiet Beatle" at the height of Beatlemania, George Harrison did indeed seem somewhat reserved compared to the other members of the Fab Four. He favored wry wit to Ringo Starr's clowning, and he never indulged in either John Lennon's penchant for controversy or Paul McCartney's crowd-pleasing antics.
He preferred sly provocations to larger-than-life bravado. Harrison's measured, considered persona was reflected in his music, particularly his clean, composed lead guitar parts but also in his earliest songs for the Beatles where he didn't seem to waste a line. With the introduction of psychedelics, spirituality, and Indian music in the mid-'60s, George's horizons expanded considerably and he started to come into his own as a musician, releasing a pair of experimental albums before settling into a songwriting style that spliced Dylanesque introspection with his natural pop grace, while also developing a unique slide guitar technique that owed nothing to the blues.
Gardening was a passion, as was film: his company HandMade Films produced Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), Time Bandits (1981) and Shanghai Surprise (1986).
In 1988, he formed The Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison, which Harrison said was "One of the most enjoyable things I've done."
Harrison was a student of Eastern religion, something he pursued in earnest. After failed cancer surgery early in November 2001, he began preparing for his death, meeting with friends and family to say his goodbyes. In Krishna tradition, he is cremated just hours after his death in an intimate ritual. His wife Olivia and son Dhani release a statement saying: "He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and at peace, surrounded by family and friends.
He often said, 'Everything else can wait but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.'"
(Photo by Getty Images)
On This Day In Music History was sourced from Songfacts and Allmusic.
KBCO