George Harrison

George Harrison (25 February 1943 -- 29 November 2001) was an influential English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, author and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. Following the band's demise, Harrison had a successful career as a solo artist and later as part of the Traveling Wilburys super group where he was known as both Nelson Wilbury and Spike Wilbury. He was also a film producer, with his production company Handmade Films, involving people as diverse as Madonna and the members of Monty Python. From an initial exposure whilst a member of the Beatles, he maintained a high public profile regarding his religious and spiritual life.

Death

Harrison's cancer recurred in 2001 and was found to have metastasized. Despite very aggressive treatment, it was soon found to be terminal. He set about getting his affairs in order and spent his final months with his family and close friends. He also worked on songs for an album with his son Dhani, which was released after his death.

Harrison died in a Hollywood Hills mansion that was once leased by McCartney and was previously owned by Courtney Love. (Reuters reported that the house had been leased in the name of Gavin de Becker, a security consultant working for Harrison).

During an interview on the Larry King show on CNN during 2007, Paul McCartney described how he had visited Harrison on his death bed and demonstrated how he had sat silently next to Harrison while stroking Harrison's hand to comfort him. The interview can be seen on YouTube.

Harrison died on 29 November 2001. He was 58 years old. Harrison's death was ascribed to lung cancer that had metastasised to the brain. He was cremated and, although it was widely reported that his ashes were scattered in the Ganges River, the ceremony was not conducted at the expected time. The actual disposition of the ashes has not been publicly disclosed.

After his death, the Harrison family released the following statement: "He left this world as he lived in it: conscious of God, fearless of death and at peace, surrounded by family and friends. Harrison had often said, "Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait; and love one another."

Harrison and Aaliyah made UK chart history when they scored the first (and so far the only) pair of back-to-back posthumous number one hits as Aaliyah's "More than a Woman" (released on 7 January 2002 and topped the chart on 13 January 2002) was followed by Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" (re-released on 14 January 2002 and topped the chart on 20 January 2002).

Harrison's final album, Brainwashed, was completed by Dhani Harrison and Jeff Lynne and released on 18 November 2002. It received generally positive reviews in the United States, and peaked at #18 on the Billboard charts. A media-only single, "Stuck Inside a Cloud", was heavily played on UK and U.S. radio to promote the album (#27 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart), while the official single "Any Road", released in May 2003, reached #37 on the British chart.

Photo from georgeharrison.com

Read more

George Harrison website

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - George Harrison



George Harrison - MY SWEET LORD