George Harrison, 58

Unlike what usually happens these days I do not think it was a deliberate marketing ploy on the part of the Beatles. It was probably mere coincidence that the members happened to embody all the qualities that fans wanted to find in a boy group. So this was how we saw them in 1964. John Lennon was the rebel. Paul McCartney was the heartthrob. Ringo Starr was funny. And George Harrison was the quiet one.

After reaching unprecedented success and attaining the status of demigods, the fabulous four went off to pursue their own lives. Lennon has since died from gunshot wounds inflicted by a deranged fan. Paul McCartney is now the world’s most celebrated widower and a gentleman farmer in England who occasionally makes music. Ringo Starr is a jetsetting actor who once in a while makes an album. And until a few months ago, George Harrison gardened in his estate Friar’s Park, recorded and performed when the mood hit him, lent his name and presence to his favorite causes and battled cancer.

George died at 1:30 in the afternoon last Thursday, Nov. 29 in Los Angeles. With him was his wife of 23 years, Olivia and their son Dhani. The youngest Beatle was only 58 years old. In true George Harrison fashion, his passing was not as shocking as Lennon’s. He had been sick for several years, first of cancer of the throat and later of a brain tumor, but details of his illness were kept from the public. In fact, it was only in July of this year that he issued a statement asking fans not to worry as he was doing fine. Then suddenly and as quietly as he probably wished, he was gone.

George was born on Feb. 25, 1943 in Liverpool. He had a happy secure childhood and a very supportive family, who saw the budding Beatles through hours of practice with free meals and lots of encouragement. He went to school with Paul with whom he found a common bond in their fascination with guitars and music. It was Paul who introduced him to John and although his playing then left much to be desired, got him into the band. He idolized Lennon and followed him around Liverpool like a devoted puppy. Of course, George later developed into a fine lead guitarist, whose playing accompanied the most popular songs the world has ever known.

He wrote some great ones too. One of his compositions is the achingly beautiful ballad Something, which is known as the quintessential Beatle love song. Now Lennon and McCartney’s Yesterday may be the best known and the most covered Beatle song, but it is not really a love song. Yesterday is an elegy for the past. Something is about love.

Harrison also wrote the lyrical Here Comes the Sun, Don’t Bother Me; I Need You, If I Needed Someone, Love You Too, Within You, Without You, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Taxman, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), My Sweet Lord and others. He is credited with introducing the use of the sitar, an Indian instrument, into pop music.

Although not in the same league as John and Paul, George had a successful solo career with critically-acclaimed albums like All Things Must Pass that also made it to the top of the charts. He was also the most spiritual and constantly took time off to meditate. He joined and supported Krishna movements. His Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, which raised money for starving Pakistan, became the forerunner of the rock charity fundraiser. During the ’90s he formed a superstar group called the Traveling Wilburys with fellow rockers Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and the late Roy Orbison.

George was also a successful film producer and his Handmade Films bankrolled many box-office hits like Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Time Bandits, The Long Good Friday and others. He was married twice, first to model Pattie Boyd, who later married George’s best friend Eric Clapton and later to Mexican-born Olivia Trinidad Arias.

As of this writing, there is no word yet if the remaining Beatles would attend the funeral services. The last time they were seen together in public was also during a sad occasion, the death of Paul’s wife Linda. That meeting thawed a lot of old resentments among the trio. It led to the famous Beatles Anthology collection and the release of other unheard-of previously recorded materials.

I wonder what the meeting this time will be like. Only Paul and Ringo will be there. But like them, all of us will be confronting mortality and the end of a time that has just closed another door.