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     Guitarist, songwriter, singer, producer of music and film, George Harrison was born Feb. 25, 1943, in Liverpool, one of four children of Harold and Louise Harrison. He grew up in post war Liverpool listening to the music of Lonnie Donegan ,rock and roll and playing guitar.
Harrison was 13 when he bought his first guitar and befriended Paul McCartney at their school. McCartney introduced him to Lennon, who had founded a band called the Quarry Men which later became The Beatles. 

    Although often described as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison's guitar style and and writing were central to The Beatles' sound. He penned several Beatles hits, including "Taxman", "Something", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and "Here Comes the Sun." The Beatles, with Harrison as their lead guitarist, reinvigorated rock ’n’ roll and through the ’60s transformed the once-primitive brand of youth entertainment into an art form with increasingly sophisticated songcraft that has endured into the new century. Harrison, McCartney, Starr and Lennon went on to influence fashion, humor, counterculture politics and even hairstyles during their heyday. Their blend of wit, style and charisma transcended music and invaded daily life through movies, press conferences, television appearances, concerts and other media -- even lunch boxes and a Saturday morning Beatles cartoon.

    As the Beatles grew apart, Harrison collaborated with Clapton on the song ''Badge,'' performed with Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and produced his most acclaimed solo work, the triple album ''All Things Must Pass.''  While continuing to release albums under his own name and collaborating with musicians such as Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan, Harrison formed a record company (Dark Horse Records in 1974), and a film company, (Handmade Films, in 1978). As he pursued his musical interests, he also backed a number of successful films such as Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), Time Bandits (1982), and Brazil (1984).

     He later formed the Traveling Wilburys with Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty and co-produced two successful albums with the supergroup in 1988 and ’90. "All Things Must Pass" featured contributions from Dylan and Clapton, as did Harrison’s 1971 concert for Bangladesh hunger relief, which presaged all-star charity events such as Live Aid and the Concert for New York. He spent most of his recent years as a relative recluse, living on his country estate outside of London or spending time in his secluded Maui home. Although he preferred a peaceful life, his last years were filled with turmoil. On top of the cancer, he suffered multiple stab wounds when a deranged fan attacked him in his English home on Dec. 30, 1999. He and Olivia fought off and subdued the 33-year-old attacker, who a court later determined was insane.

     With Harrison's passing, only two members of The Beatles -- Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr -- survive. Harrison who died of cancer at the age of 58, is survived by his wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani, 24.

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