‘There Was A Beautiful Soul In Him’: George Harrison Remembered By Family And Friends

As an ex-Beatle, George Harrison’s place in history is assured. Add to that a post-Beatles career that saw him further develop his songwriting skills with classic solo albums such as All Things Must Pass and the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, and it becomes clear that George Harrison, born on February 25, 1943, was one of the greatest musical talents to have ever walked the earth.

It’s been said of him that he “was a great believer in this fantastic language called music – the universality of this language,” and so it was fitting that, on November 29, 2002, a year to the day after George Harrison passed away, a musical family – led by Eric Clapton and including lifelong friends and collaborators, among them Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Ravi Shankar, Tom Petty and Billy Preston – gathered to pay tribute to their beloved friend and inspiration. The Concert For George, staged at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and recently reissued on DVD, CD and LP formats, allowed for a universal outpouring of love for a man whose work – and outlook on life – touched so many.

Indeed, Harrison was far more than a musical inspiration; he was, to many, a spiritual guide as well. “It was like I’d been sent the person I needed,” fellow-Wilbury Tom Petty said of their friendship. “He healed a lot of wounds.”