5th Beatle dies

[David19]

I wasn't sure where to put this, whether in the Music forum or the In Memoriam thread in the Entertainment and Sports forum, so if you want to move it, please feel free :).

Anyway, this was in the paper today and I thought some people might be interested.

From here (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/03/25/paul-mccartney-in-mourning-as-fifth-beatle-neil-aspinall-passes-away-89520-20362057/):

Fab Four's mentor dies of cancer, 66
Exclusive by Emily Miller And Fiona Cummins 25/03/2008

"Fifth Beatle" Neil Aspinall dies aged 66

george harrison, john lennon, neil aspinall, olivia harrison, ringo starr, sir paul, the beatles, yoko ono

Grief-stricken Macca was last night mourning childhood friend Neil Aspinall - the man dubbed the Fifth Beatle.

Neil, 66, a schoolmate of Sir Paul and George Harrison who started out as The Beatles' van driver and ended up their financial guru, died of cancer.

Macca, 65, flew to New York on Sunday to say a tearful farewell at his dying mate's bedside. A close friend said: "He's completely heartbroken - he was always very close to Neil."

Sir Paul, Ringo Starr and Beatle widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison yesterday issued a joint statement that praised Aspinall's "trusting stewardship and guidance". It added: "Neil takes with him the love and history of his extended family.


Here's another article in the same paper on the life of Neil Aspinall (http://www.mirror.co.uk/copy2/livecopy/2008/03/24/fifth-beatle-neil-aspinall-dies-aged-66-89520-20361899/):

The Fifth Beatle
By David Edwards
There are a few who could lay claim to the title of The Fifth Beatle - but none deserved the accolade more than Neil Aspinall.

He might never have had a dashing quiff like original drummer Pete Best, the charisma of manager Brian Epstein, or the artistic talents of tragic bassist Stu Sutcliffe, but he was vital to the band's legend.

The bespectacled accountant was the man firmly in control of the Beatles' vast empire.

And while his musical contribution was limited to backing vocals on Yellow Submarine, he was the band's chief confidant for 47 years.

Neil was the first person John Lennon spoke to after his 1968 drugs bust, and he consoled Cynthia when John ran off with Yoko. And his brilliant business sense helped the Fab Four amass their huge fortunes.

Thoughts?.

[Philbo]

Hmmm... I always thought Stu Sutcliffe was the fifth beatle, who died before Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as their drummer.

[Bluewillow]

That's very sad news indeed. While there were a few who, as the article says, could lay claim to the title of fifth Beatle (from Stu Sutcliffe, who played with the band before Ringo Starr joined the group and died due to a brain hemorrhage in '61, to Billy Preston who filled in on such songs as "Get Back", "Don't Let Me Down" and "Let It Be" and so on), I have to say that I agree that Neil Aspinall was probably one of the most deserving. The guy was there with them in one form or another from their school days in Liverpool straight through to their break-up in '70.

That said, Paul McCartney was quoted in an interview back in '97 (while doing an interview about their manager Brian Epstein) as saying that,"If anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian.". Their producer, George Martin, was quoted as saying the same.

So there are certainly a few important people who have been considered "the fifth Beatle" for one reason or another, but I'd have to go for either Aspinall or Epstein, personally.

Just this Beatle fan's two cents. :)