George Harrison

George Harrison, born on February 25, 1943, was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, music and film producer, and is best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. He influenced The Beatles’ direction throughout their career, in 1965 into folk rock and later towards Indian classical music. In June 1965 Harrison and the other Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He continued to record and tour as a solo artist after The Beatles broke up. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – as a member of The Beatles in 1988, and (posthumously) for his solo career in 2004. Harrison was involved in humanitarian and political activism throughout his life, and was deeply involved with The George Harrison Humanitarian Fund for UNICEF, a joint effort between the Harrison family and the US Fund for UNICEF to support programs that help children caught in humanitarian emergencies. On November 29, 2001, at the age of 58, he died of cancer.