Harrison

["Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>]

Off-topic but relevant, IMHO:



HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England (Reuters) - An intruder
armed with a knife stabbed former Beatle George
Harrison in the chest in a pre-dawn attack at his home
near London Thursday, a police spokesman said.

The spokesman said Harrison, 56, was in stable
condition in hospital after fighting off the intruder
at his closely guarded home in Henley-on-Thames, west
of London. His wife, Olivia, was also wounded in the
attack.

``Mr. Harrison was admitted to hospital at 5 a.m. this
morning. He is now stable. He had a single stab wound
to the chest. His wife was with him. She suffered
minor head injuries and was not admitted,'' a
spokesman for nearby Royal Berkshire Hospital told a
news conference.

Harrison, who police initially said had been stabbed
four times, was in considerable pain but did not need
surgery.

Police spokesman Guy Bailey said the 33-year-old
attacker had been arrested on suspicion of attempted
murder at the 100-room mansion where the couple have
lived for 20 years.

Neighbors described the building as ``Fort Knox''
because of the tight security around it, including
patrol dogs.

Bailey said a member of the Harrisons' staff reported
the attack at 3:30 a.m. It was not clear if the
assailant was an obsessed fan, like the man who shot
dead ex-Beatle John Lennon in New York in 1980, or a
robber, he said. But the attacker was from Liverpool,
birthplace of all the pop group's members.

Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment
building on December 8, 1980, by obsessed fan Mark
Chapman.

``Taste in music is pretty far down the (list of)
questions police initially ask a suspected murderer,''
the spokesman told Reuters. ``We are keeping an open
mind on the motive.''

``The intruder has head injuries so there was a
serious struggle put up by Harrison and his wife,''
Bailey added. Media reports said Harrison, his wife
and staff overpowered the attacker and held him until
police arrived.

``Harrison's the one you'd least expect something
dramatic to happen to,'' said Beatles biographer
Hunter Davies. ``He's been a recluse in many ways in
the last few years. He's gone into spiritualism,
spiritual things.''

Other Ex-Beatles Informed Of Attack

Harrison, the Beatles' lead guitarist, lived for many
years in the shadow of Lennon and Paul McCartney and
was rated a major musician in his own right only after
the ``Fab Four'' broke up.

During the group's reign, the youngest Beatle became
devoted to oriental mysticism and persuaded the other
Beatles to travel to India to sit at the feet of the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

``George leads a very quiet life now,'' Sir George
Martin, the former Beatles' producer, said Thursday.
``He's very down to earth. He likes nothing more than
doing his garden.''

A spokesman for the Beatles record company Apple said
McCartney, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and Beatles drummer
Ringo Starr had all been advised of the attack.

``Everyone is deeply shocked but relieved and thankful
that George and Olivia are OK,'' Apple said in a
statement.

Like the other Beatles, Harrison came from a working
class family in Liverpool in northwest England. He was
born on February 25, 1943, the youngest of three sons,
and became interested in music in his teens.

He learnt to play the guitar and performed at a
Liverpool club after teaming up with Lennon and
McCartney.

Starting in 1962, a rapid succession of hit singles
made the Beatles the most famous rock and roll group
in the world.

The wave of ``Beatlemania'' -- the hysterical
screaming of their concert audiences -- eventually led
the four to give up touring in 1966 in order to
concentrate on recording.

In 1966, Harrison married model Patti Boyd. He
immersed himself in mystical philosophy, became a
vegetarian and gradually withdrew from the public
glare.

After the group broke up, Harrison scored remarkable
success with the single ``My Sweet Lord'' and a series
of albums.

Patti left Harrison in 1974 for his long-time friend,
guitarist Eric Clapton. In 1978, Harrison married his
present wife, Mexican-born Olivia Arias, and their son
Dhani is now 21. 



       Cheers                  ML

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