VARIOUS: FANS GATHER IN NEW YORK, LIVERPOOL AND INDIA TO PAY TRIBUTE TO FORMER BEATLE GEORGE HARRISON

Record ID: 392318

  • Title: VARIOUS: FANS GATHER IN NEW YORK, LIVERPOOL AND INDIA TO PAY TRIBUTE TO FORMER BEATLE GEORGE HARRISON
  • Date: 3rd December 2001
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - 1964) (MONOCHROME) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) BEATLES ARRIVE AT LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT FROM NEW YORK SCREAMING FANS AND POLICE CLOSE OF BEATLES ON STEPS OF PLANE (GEORGE HARRISON IN FOREGROUND)
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM; NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA; NEW DELHI, INDIA, VARIOUS LOCATIONS (FILE)
  • City:
  • Country: Usa United Kingdom India
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVADYQ4A5Y6GRMFE1HUCQZBT9FE0
  • Story Text: George Harrison fans have gathered in Liverpool and at Strawberry Fields in New York to pay tribute the former Beatle and observe a minute of silence in his memory. And in India, special prayers were held in New Delhi's International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple.
    Fans in Liverpool and New York held a minute's silence on Monday (December 3) in tribute to former Beatle George Harrison who died in Los Angeles at the age of 58 after a long battle against cancer. He died at a friend's home with his wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani at his side.
    Harrison's family asked the public to take a moment to reflect upon Harrison's life and spirit at 1830gmt.
    Hundreds of fans gathered in Strawberry Fields in Central Park, New York. Flowers, wreathes, poems and candles surrounded the site.
    One young fan, Eva Ulmer was not even born when the Beatles were a group, but she said she loves the Fab Four and had to come pay tribute to Harrison. "I'm sad about George and I want to show that I care."
    The City of Liverpool also saw many mourners paying their last respects to Harrison. Flowers were placed in various locations around the city and a book of remembrance was signed in the Beatles' old haunt of the Cavern Club.
    Crowds braved the cold to gather at the steps of Liverpool's St George's Hall in Lime Street, for the minute's silence to begin. There was musical entertainment as they watched on and tracks played from Harrison's extensive musical history. At 6.30 p.m. (1830 GMT) minute's silence was observed.
    Harrison's family arrived in India on Tuesday (December 4) to immerse his ashes in the sacred Ganges River, an official of the Hare Krishna movement said. The musician's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, are expected to arrive on a chartered plane around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday (2300 GMT Monday).
    They intend to first immerse Harrison's ashes in the Ganges at Varanasi, a bustling town also known as Benares and, as one of the holiest places in Hinduism, a popular site for cremations.
    His family will then take another urn to the town of Allahabad, scene of the huge Kumbh Mela Hindu festival in January and February, the official said.
    There they will immerse his ashes in the Sangam, a holy confluence where the Ganges meets the Yamuna River and the mythical Saraswati River.
    Harrison, who died last week in Los Angeles after battling cancer, was a long-time devotee of the Hare Krishna movement, a Hindu sect, for which immersion of the ashes is symbolic of the soul's journey towards eternal consciousness. Harrison, 58, was cremated in a cardboard coffin hours after his death, in keeping with his Eastern faith.
    Special prayers were held by members of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Tuesday (December 4) who chanted devotional songs and prayed for the peace of the departed soul.
    The youngest member of the world's most famous pop group will always be remembered for his devotion to Oriental mysticism. It was he who persuaded the other Beatles to fly to India and sit at the feet of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
    "We are praying for his soul to Lord Krishna that he should give all his blessings to the departed soul. We also pray to God to give strength to his aggrieved family, his wife, son and other members," said Hari Shankar, ISKCON member.
    The star was treated for cancer in 1997 after he found a lump in his neck. He also had surgery for lung cancer in 2001 and was reportedly treated at a Swiss clinic for a brain tumour.
    Just before his final battle with cancer, George Harrison undertook his last project - reworking of his 1970 album "All things must pass."
    Harrison scored remarkable success with the single "My Sweet Lord" and a series of albums reflecting his meditative and philosophical approach to life."
    The group conquered the world with 27 number one hits in the United States and Britain. Harrison, always known as "The Quiet Beatle," was just 27 when the band split in 1970.
    With the death of Harrison only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr remain of the quartet. John Lennon was assassinated by a deranged fan in 1980 in New York city.
    With Harrison's death, only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr remain from the famed pop quartet. John Lennon was slain by a deranged fan in 1980 in New York City.
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