'Fifth Beatle' George Martin dies at 90

George Martin, the music producer who made the Beatles into a household name, has died at the age of 90.

George Martin.

Beatles producer George Martin has died aged 90. (AAP)

George Martin, known as "the fifth Beatle" for his work in shaping the band that became one of the world's most influential music forces, has died at the age of 90.

He was considered the most successful music producer ever, cited in the Guinness Book of Records for having more than 50 No. 1 hit records over five decades in the US and United Kingdom alone.

"God bless George Martin peace and love to Judy and his family... George will be missed," Ringo Starr, the Beatles' drummer, said on Twitter.

Starr followed the message by posting a black and white photo of the Fab Four with Martin, saying "Thank you for all your love and kindness George."

Martin's management confirmed his death.

"We can confirm that Sir George Martin passed away peacefully at home yesterday evening, Tuesday March 8," it said.

Martin served as producer, collaborator and mentor to Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Starr.

Sean Ono, John Lennon's son with Yoko Ono, posted a picture of Martin on Instagram, with the caption: "R.I.P. George Martin. I'm so gutted I don't have many words."

Tributes from the music world poured in on Twitter.

Singer and composer Quincy Jones praised "my musical brother". "We were friends since 1964, and I am so thankful for that gift," Jones said. "Bless you and your precious posse forever."
Lenny Kravitz said: "The legends are really going home!"

Boy George said: "George Martin. Gentleman and legend", while Mark Ronson said Martin was "the greatest British record producer of all time".

During his six-decade career in the music industry, Martin produced almost all of the Beatles' recordings and also worked with Gerry & the Pacemakers, Jeff Beck, America, Cheap Trick and other acts.

Martin started producing records for EMI's Parlophone label in 1950. He was noted for his comedy recordings with the likes of Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Beyond the Fringe and got his first No. 1 with The Temperance Seven in 1961. He signed The Beatles in 1962.

The young band members were rough around the edges, but Martin saw their commercial promise and with them helped revolutionise the art of popular music recording.

Over the coming years, he helped score, arrange, and produce many of the band's biggest hits, including Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby and Love Me Do. His 1979 autobiography, All You Need Is Ears, chronicles his discovery of the Beatles and their creative process.

Martin was knighted in 1996. In 2006, working with his son, Giles Martin, he helped develop the Beatles-inspired Cirque du Soleil show Love in Las Vegas, which went on to reap his two most recent Grammys.


Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world