George Harrison was known as the "Quiet Beatle," but the final year of his life
was anything but low-key. From playing guitar on his friends' albums to toiling away on a
long-awaited solo project, Harrison was making music right up until the end.
The year 2000 ended on quite a high note for George Harrison, who had been through a lot
in the years prior. In 1997, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, and while he successfully
underwent treatment for the illness, he suffered injuries after a home invader stabbed him in 1999.
"If you're trying to fight cancer and then you're trying to stay alive from something like that,
you know, it's gotta, it's gotta take it out of you. You know?"
Almost exactly a year later, Harrison spoke to Billboard's Timothy White.
The former Beatle was in good spirits and ready to discuss various topics,
particularly the upcoming 30th-anniversary reissue of his 1970 triple album, "All Things Must Pass."
In addition to confirming that he was doing well, Harrison also offered some
hints regarding his future plans in music. The guitarist said that he was hoping to
remaster the other albums in his catalog, as well as the songs he recorded as part of the
late '80s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. Additionally, he teased a potential timeline
for his next solo release, saying, "I hate to predict things, but the next
new album will possibly be by November of next year. [...] It's not going to be
the end — it's going to be one of lots of records. Then I'll go on holiday again."
On January 23, 2001, George Harrison re-released "All Things Must Pass," offering listeners
a remixed take on the songs that made up the original triple album. The reissue also had five
bonus tracks, including "I Live for You," a ballad that failed to make it onto the original album.
In the liner notes, Harrison said that he was motivated to strip down the songs
because he ultimately grew uncomfortable with all the bells and whistles producer
Phil Spector added while working on the original album. Harrison wrote,
"All these years later I would like to liberate some of the songs from the big
production that seemed appropriate at the time, but now seem a bit over the
top with the reverb in the wall of sound. Still, it was an important album for me."
George Harrison wasn't just busy remixing his old solo recordings and working on new
ones for his next album. He was also helping other classic rock icons by doing session work
on their records. One example was the album "Double Bill," which was released by former
Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and his backing band, the Rhythm Kings, on April 23,
2001. Though it was quite noteworthy to see ex-members of the two biggest bands of
the 1960s British Invasion working together, "Double Bill" also featured other reputable
musicians such as veteran session guitarist Albert Lee, and '60s hitmaker Georgie Fame.
Harrison's guitar work was also on the album "Zoom," by the Electric Light Orchestra,
which came out on June 12, 2001. Harrison and ELO's frontman, Jeff Lynne, had a long
history of collaborating together. Lynne produced Harrison's 1987 album "Cloud Nine," and the two
later teamed up with fellow legends Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan in the Traveling Wilburys.
"George liked to surround himself with people that were good at something."
George Harrison was quite a busy man in the first few months of 2001. Sadly, the musician suffered
a serious setback in the spring of that year when he underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic
for a cancerous lump that was found on one of his lungs. The operation was successful,
and in May, Harrison's attorneys from the London-based Eversheds law firm issued a
statement that confirmed the guitarist was in great shape. The statement read,
"He is in the best of spirits and on top form — ­the most relaxed and free
[he's been] since the attack on him since 1999."
The summer months of 2001 saw yet another concerning health update
come in for George Harrison. The musician was at the Oncology Institute of Southern
Switzerland in May and June, where he underwent radiation treatment for
a tumor in his brain. Cancer specialist Dr. Franco Cavalli issued a statement that read,
"Mr. George Harrison was referred to the hospital to undergo a course
of radiotherapy. Harrison successfully completed this course more than a month
ago and we foresee no need for further treatment here."
For his part, Harrison wanted to reassure fans and
let them know in a statement that he was still in good shape. He wrote:
"I am feeling fine, and I am really sorry for the unnecessary worry which
has been caused by the reports appearing in today's press. Please do not worry."
Not long after the news of Harrison's radiation treatments broke, the Daily
Mail cited former Beatles producer George Martin,
who supposedly said the singer-guitarist was close to death. During this interview,
Martin was quoted as saying that Harrison knew he was dying and was "accepting it."
The outlet also cited unnamed experts who said that cancerous brain tumors have a better chance
of being fatal if they appear as secondary to lung cancer. The experts also claimed
that even if the treatment is successful, most patients only have about five months to live.
However, the Daily Mail story was quickly debunked by Adam Sharp of George Martin
Music. Sharp appeared on "Good Morning America" on July 25, 2001, and said that Martin didn't
actually give that interview to the publication. Harrison and his wife, Olivia, also denied the
Daily Mail story. The couple issued their own statement to the press, which read,
"The reports were unsubstantiated, untrue, insensitive, and uncalled for, especially as Mr.
Harrison is active and feeling very well in spite of the health challenges he has had this year."
"I've got a son who needs a father. So I've got to stick around for him."
The album that George Harrison was hyping up in his December 2000 Billboard interview was
eventually titled "Brainwashed" — and it would turn out to be his last. But
despite his declining health, Harrison did what he could to work on the record,
which was posthumously released in November 2002 with the help of producer
Jeff Lynne and Harrison's son, Dhani. All told, "Brainwashed" took almost 15 years to complete,
with the first song for the album recorded way back in 1988. Lynne told Uncut in May 2020:
"His life was in those final songs, the things he got up to each day,
like riding down the River Thames. Lots of very personal stuff. Some of them are really good."
"He wrote about important things, like spirituality,
and corruption, and stuff like that."
Jim Keltner, who played drums on "Brainwashed," recalled having
an easy time playing over the vocal and guitar tracks Harrison recorded. He also
shared his memories of the last time he and his wife saw Harrison. Keltner told Uncut,
"He said, 'You'll never know what you've meant to me,
Jim,' and gave me a big hug. I said, 'Oh, you'll be around longer than me,
man!' When we drove off, my wife said, 'You know he was saying goodbye to us, don't you?'"
Even as he worked on new material for "Brainwashed" amid his health crisis,
George Harrison continued lending a helping hand to his musical friends. The very last single he
recorded was "Horse to the Water," which was a collaboration with keyboardist Jools Holland. The
song was recorded at George's home on October 1, 2001. In an interview with MTV, a spokesperson for
Holland described "Horse to the Water" as being influenced by John Lennon and Bob Dylan. However,
one could also argue that the song feels right at home in Harrison's solo discography.
"Horse to the Water" got a U.K. single release and appeared on Holland's album "Small World Big
Band," which was released later in October. The song, however, had a darkly humorous,
yet chilling credit. Instead of listing his Harrisongs publishing company, Harrison used the
name "RIP Ltd., 2001," perhaps an acknowledgment of sorts that he knew the end might be near.
On November 9, 2001, ABC News reported that George Harrison would be receiving another
round of radiation treatment for his brain tumor, this time at Staten Island University
Hospital in New York. The procedure, known as fractionated radiation therapy,
was designed in such a way that the radiation would only target the growth, thus avoiding
healthy sections of brain tissue whenever possible. However, the outlet stressed that
the treatment was likely too little, too late for Harrison, as his lung cancer was still spreading.
While Harrison's physician, Dr. Gil Lederman, said that the procedure had a 90% success rate,
Dr. Stephen Tatter, co-director of Wake Forest University's Gamma Knife Center, clarified
that the figure didn't mean Harrison had a good chance of surviving. He explained to ABC News,
"A lot of those things end up being a function of how long the person lives.
If you die before your brain tumor comes back that's considered success,
but it's not really success, obviously. If you look at actuarially adjusted success
rates they're significantly lower; about 60 percent after one year."
Another doctor, Robert Fenstermaker of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo,
offered his own grim prognosis. Dr. Fenstermaker told ABC News that it's usually the main form of
cancer that ends up killing the patient, as opposed to the metastatic brain tumor.
As reported by the Daily Express, the three surviving Beatles got one last
chance to catch up with each other. The reunion happened on November 12,
2001, when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr visited George Harrison at his hotel room
in Manhattan. The publication described the three musical legends reminiscing about their
older days and having a good time. Harrison's doctor also shared his observations on the
bittersweet Beatles mini-reunion that took place. Dr. Lederman told the Daily Express:
"There were some tears. But there was more laughter than anything else."
He went on to describe the meeting as spirited as opposed to depressing, saying,
"There were lots of laughs and lots of fun. They spent hours reminiscing...
George remained very much the man of dignity. [...] This meeting meant so much to him."
Lederman's account was corroborated by an unnamed friend of the surviving Beatles,
who said that Harrison was indeed happy,
though he likely expected the visit to mark the last time he would see his former bandmates.
"What do you miss the most about George?"
"Uh, his humor. His friendship."
On November 29, 2001, George Harrison, then only 58 years old, died in Los Angeles at a
friend's home. He was survived by his wife, son, and three siblings. In the aftermath of his death,
Harrison's legions of fans paid their respects by turning up at various places that make up an
important part of Beatles lore. Many musical friends and peers, including Paul McCartney
and Mick Jagger, also shared their tributes to Harrison in the hours that followed his passing.
"He'll be sorely missed. He's a beautiful man and the world will miss him.”
During his tenure in the Beatles, Harrison wrote and sang some of the band's most
recognizable tunes, including "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." He remained
a brilliant songwriter as a solo artist, with his spirituality informing much of
his work. Harrison's humanitarian efforts, particularly his 1971 benefit concert for
refugees in Bangladesh, also deserve a lot of recognition even up to this day.
Perhaps one of the more poignant tributes to Harrison came from
a much more contemporary artist, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. He told MTV,
"George was a good and humble man who believed in the power of love
to overcome all adversity. He lived his life without asking anything for himself."