George Harrison

Guitarist and songwriter sometimes referred to as “the quiet Beatle,” but nonetheless a key element in the group's success and a major rock and roll figure in his own right. While not as prolific a songwriter as bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Harrison wrote several of their hits, including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (1968) and “Here Comes the Sun” (1969). Harrison was the first Beatle to develop a hit as a solo performer when the group broke up (with “ My Sweet Lord” in 1970), and much later was part of The Traveling Wilburys group with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, and the late Roy Orbison. He and his wife fought off an intruder in December 1999 and he sustained multiple stab wounds. He died of throat cancer at age 58.

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