The music industry remembered George Harrison, guitarist of The Beatles, on his birthday on Sunday, Feb. 25. He would have been 75 years old.
Friends and fans took to social media to pay tribute to the late music icon. Harrison's former bandmate Paul McCartney posted a black-and-white photo of the two of them back in the day.
"Happy Birthday Georgie," tweeted the singer-songwriter. "Wonderful memories."
McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr are the only surviving members of The Beatles. Singer and songwriter John Lennon was shot dead in 1980.
Harrison passed away in 2001 after a long and difficult battle with lung cancer. He was 58 years old at the time of his death.
His widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, also remembered the "My Sweet Lord" singer on Sunday. On a tweet, they urged fans to listen to a performance of "Isn't It A Pity" from the star-studded tribute concert for the late musician back in 2002.
The song was originally written and performed by Harrison in the '70s. It was included in the singer-songwriter's debut solo album, All Things Must Pass.
The Quiet One
Harrison was born in 1943 in Liverpool, England. The youngest and shyest member of the group, he was often inaccurately referred to as "the quiet one."
He was mostly happy staying under the shadows of The Beatles' main songwriters, Lennon and McCartney. As the youngest member of the band, he found that his creative output was stunted by his equally creative bandmates.
"How do you bring a song and show it to Lennon and McCartney?" he once asked.
Harrison's talent for songwriting became apparent in 1966, when the band released the album Revolver. It was the guitarist that penned the album's opening track "Taxman."
As a songwriter, Harrison contributed some of the most beloved songs of the band including "Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
"My dad was ahead of his time," Dhani said in an interview. "The world we inhabit now — the really noxious world of constant, terrifying news that's built around fame and gossip — he lived in that world long before anyone else. He wrote 'Devli's Radio' in 1987, about the world we inhabit today, 30 years ago. So it's no surprise to me that his perspective resonates so strongly today."
Birthday Tributes
The love that fans and fellow musicians expressed on social media on Sunday is testament to Harrison's enduring legacy in the music industry.
Among the fans who remembered and paid tribute to the ex-The Beatles member was singer Sheryl Crow. She shared a clip of the single "Beware of Darkness" from All Things Must Pass.
Happy 75th birthday, George Harrison. You continue to inspire me.#BewareofDarkness: https://t.co/NMfL075m27 https://t.co/j8OAfjESrn — Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) February 25, 2018
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, meanwhile, shared his cover of one of Harrison's most popular tracks "My Sweet Lord." The video was from the event "George Fest: A Night To Celebrate The Music of George Harrison."
Happy 75th Birthday to George Harrison. Brian was honored to perform "My Sweet Lord" at :George Fest: A Night To Celebrate The Music Of George Harrison" in 2014. Here's a fan video: https://t.co/UzJ35rG0sv — Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) February 25, 2018
Mickey Hart, a percussionist and drummer of the band the Grateful Dead, attached a black-and-white photo of the music icon.
Happy Birthday, @GeorgeHarrison! pic.twitter.com/9Np7jR6DAq — Mickey Hart (@mickeyhart) February 25, 2018
The official Twitter page of the Tribeca Film Festival also celebrated the birthday of the singer-songwriter by posting a throwback pic from the set of A Hard Day's Night, a movie directed by Richard Lester and starred The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania.
On the 75th anniversary of his birth, here is George Harrison sharing moments with fellow Beatle Ringo Starr, director Richard Lester, fans, and various others on the set and behind the scenes of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT in 1964. pic.twitter.com/W6xEmIChKt — Tribeca (@Tribeca) February 26, 2018
