"Fifth Beatle" Neil Aspinall Dies In New York

NEW YORK — Neil Aspinall, a longtime friend of the Beatles who managed their business enterprises and helped make the group a moneymaking phenomenon decades after they split up, has died. He was 66.

Aspinall's death was announced Monday in a statement from surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, and the band's Apple Corps Ltd. company.

Aspinall died Sunday night at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where he had been receiving treatment for lung cancer, according to Geoff Baker, who formerly represented both Aspinall and Apple Corps.

Aspinall's wife and five children were by his side; McCartney visited him before his death.

He was a childhood friend of McCartney and Harrison in Liverpool, England. While he didn't contribute musically, he played several key roles in support of the Beatles, most notably as the head of their Apple Corps business, which oversaw the commercial concerns of the group, including licensing.

"I've known Neil many years and he was a good friend. We were blessed to have him in our lives and he will be missed," Starr said in a statement Monday.

Harrison's widow Olivia and the couple's son Dhani said: "Neil takes with him the love and history of his extended family. He was our constant and avuncular caretaker for so many years; there is no way to measure how much he will be missed."

Aspinall and the late Mal Evans were the Beatles' roadies. Aspinall would drive them to gigs in his van before they became famous, and never left the band's tight-knit circle. He took over the management of Apple Corps in 1968, and continued to oversee the group's business affairs in the decades after they broke up in 1970.

As head of Apple Corps, Aspinall was executive producer of the hugely successful "Beatles Anthology" album and was behind other successes, including the "Beatles One" album and the recent Cirque du Soleil production "Love," which has been a hit in Las Vegas.

"As a loyal friend, confidant and chief executive, Neil's trusting stewardship and guidance has left a far-reaching legacy for generations to come," the band's statement said.

Aspinall stepped down from Apple Corps last year.

Comments

[m888m]

He was the real deal. and will be missed. I'm saddened by death after death of Beatles and Beatles-related people. Only Paul and Ringo and Billy Preston left, when it comes down to it.

[normathumb]

Sorry to inform you, Billy has been dead for a couple of years now.

[ChrisR]

Sorry, Billy Preston died a while ago.

[doctordawg]

Don't forget George Martin's still around. I met him backstage in London at the Hammersmith last year. He, too, is and always will be "the real deal."

[SmootyBooty]

Pete Best lives!

[JimReed]

And Yoko

[3fingerbrown]

Hey, don't forget the still-kickin' Sir George Martin, the true fifth Beatle. Or is he now the third Beatle?

[kipmartin]

Hillary Clinton is claiming that her experience qualifies her as 'the 5th Beatle'.

[AurigaRa]

lol

[AurigaRa]

best comment today

[Msilaneous]

Thanks for the laugh.

[mounthoodliberal]

5th Beatle? How many 5th Beatles are there? There must be almost as many 5th Beatles as Al-Qaeda No. 2's....

[larry278]

How about starting with DJ's on New York City FM radio first? Better yet start with those who never claimed to be the fifth Beatle. They are scarcer than those who lived during the time Janis Joplin lived & admitted that they never had sex with her.

[grailknight]

Let's enumerate the Beatles:

[JimReed]

The only 5th beatle I ever heard of was George Martin.

[Uselessboy]

Question is, can we make a band of 5th Beatles? Or could we have?

[InstantDogma]

He was a class act and a dying breed.
Steve

[chronicBob]

Neil Aspinall was perhaps the second most important person to The Beatles, behind George Martin. He was closer to the band even than Brian Epstein.

A familiar name, if not face, from the day. If he didn't write a memoir, he should have.

[peepeeray]

Neil Aspinell joins the "5th Beatle" nook of heaven along with others who left this world far too early -- (Stu Sutcliffe, Mal Evans, Derek Taylor, Billy Preston, Brian Epstein).

I think Murray the K was the first to coin the term "5th Beatle" (in reference to himself, of course). Or maybe it was George (in reference to Murray the K, of course).

RIP Neil.

[Jeff1958]

Wouldn't Peter Best be the "5th Beatle"? Also, Tommy Moore was the Beatles' drummer before Peter Best.

[PhillyQuaker]

Rest well dear Neil a true friend to the Fabs.

[Moka]

He was not the 5th Beatle. That would be George Martin.

[robotfog]

Perhaps there are numerous people who make up the 'fifth' Beatle.

[citizenofmars]

Naaah. Aspinall was the guy who made sure the group even got to their first gigs. They crammed all the gear & themselves into his mini-cooper van. Then they more than not spent the night sleeping in it. He was there when they paid their dues. Murray the K called himself the 5th Beatle, but Neil Aspinall was the real deal.

[Richter]

Actually, at this point, as far as i know I am the only perosn who is NOT the Fifth Beatle.

[trynottogiveuphope]

There were lots of "Fifth Beatles", George Martin among them. Neil was a Fifth Beatle before there was even such a thing as a Beatle. May he rest in peace.

[tweedledum]

Good point...he was the fifth Beatle BEFORE they were the Beatles...and continued to run Apple for more than 35 years after the breakup. Fortunately, The Beatles Anthology video series wisely gave a good deal of screen time to Neil's fascinating comments. Thanks Neil...R.I.P.

[hillpill]

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon too.

RIP Neil