Neil Aspinall - The Beatles Manager and Confidant Takes Secrets To The Grave

Neil Aspinall, The Beatles manager and confidant died on Sunday night at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in Manhattan. He was there receiving treatment for lung cancer, and was only 66 when he passed away.

Aspinall was often referred to as “The Fifth Beatle”, a title which George Harrison himself gave to the man with probably the longest association with the band expect for Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr.

He was involved with the band from its earliest days, hanging flyers advertising their performances around Liverpool, England, as far back as 1961. He eventually became the head of Apple Corps., the company set up to manage all of The Beatles affairs.

He was also loyal to the end, refusing to write memoirs detailing his life with The Beatles, and any lurid secrets he may have had about the band’s tenure as the biggest group in the world, or any of its members goes with him to the grave.

The Beatles biographer, Hunter Davies, wrote a piece on Aspinall for The Guardian newspaper, and detailed his resolve to remain true:

“I asked him countless times, saying he should get it all down, before it’s too late, if just for his children. He always said no.

“Neil was there from the very beginning, a constant friend and associate, never leaving the magical mystery circle, until a few months ago when he retired as head of Apple Corps, looking after their business interests.”

The Beatles may be a thing of the past, but they remain in people’s hearts and minds as one of the greatest musical acts ever to emerge from the UK, and part of that is due to Neil Aspinall.

His greatest achievement was probably The Beatles Anthology, a detailed history of the group, which contained performances, and interview footage.

It’s a sad day for any Beatles fan that a man so closely connected to the group has passed away, and I wish his family and friends all the very best.

[Photo Source: Tavallai at Flickr]