McCartney Times

George Harrison is one of the four members of the Beatles, and one of two who are no longer with us. John Lennon, one of the frontmen, died in 1980 after being shot outside his home. For George Harrison, however, his death was a very different story.

How did George Harrison die?

George Harrison died from cancer on November 29, 2001, at his home in Beverley Hills aged 58.

He was surrounded by his family, having seen his Beatles members a few days before.

George first had lung cancer, which he revealed he had undergone an operation for in May 2001, but by July of the same year, it was reported he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumour.

George Harrison cause of death (Image: Getty)

Sir Ringo Starr visited him in Switzerland, where he was being treated, but had to leave due to his daughter going through a brain operation.

After this, he had further lung cancer treatment in New York City, before moving to his home in Los Angeles.

Who did George Harrison leave his fortune to?

Unlike his Beatles colleague Lennon, Harrison’s fortune was fairly easily divided, and with little fuss, so it seems.

The Beatles (Image: Getty)

As one might expect, the majority of his fortune went to his wife, Olivia and son Dhani.

However, the BBC reported the wealth was thought to have been split between Olivia, Dhani, “family members and a number of charities.”

While these charities have not been specified, they likely were able to put the money to good use, given Harrison’s estate was estimated at a staggering £99,226,700, before expenses.

Expenses turned this amount into more like £99million, but of course, inheritance tax meant the irony of much of the Taxman singer’s wealth being sent to HMRC was not lost on many.

George Harrison and his wife Olivia (Image: Getty)

Of course, it was in 2002 his will was finalised and its contents revealed, meaning his wealth could have increased dramatically since his death thanks to royalties.

Nevertheless, the proceedings around Harrison’s will seem to be far simpler and kinder than those of his bandmate Lennon.

The details of Lennon’s will were kept under wraps for a long time, until his first son Julian Lennon revealed there had been some tension.

In an interview with the Telegraph in May 1998, Julian spoke about the pain he felt of being excluded from his father’s will, while his half-brother Sean is reported to be the main inheritor of the fortune.

The Beatles performing on TV (Image: Getty)

In the article, it is revealed Julian was to receive £2,400 a year in maintenance from the divorce settlement between John and Julian’s mother, Cynthia.

As well as this, there was a £50,000 trust fund which was inherited by Julian when he was 25 years old.

However, given John’s net worth was expected to be in the region of £220 million back in 1998, and is now closer to £612.3 million (around $800 million), the amount left for Sean and Yoko is pretty massive.

Speaking out about the will, Julian said: “I don’t think it was necessarily fair, but I’m OK. The last thing I wanted was a court battle because there’s much more money on the estate side than my side.

“A court case could have gone on for five years. The slanderous remarks would have been horrific.

“There would not have been a private life for either Sean or me. I just wanted to resolve it, to get the hell out of there; a chapter in my life finished, over with.”

He also claimed he had been forced to “buy back Dad’s stuff with his money” as no personal items were given to him.

In 1996, Julian and Yoko Ono, his father’s widow, went into a court battle when Julian sued the estate for a larger cut of the inheritance.

He won this case and it was reported he gained £20 million from the estate, though Julian has denied this amount is correct, so the sum remains a mystery.

Source: George Harrison death: How did Beatles star George Harrison die? | Music | Entertainment | Express.co.uk