Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

Impressed by the 14-year-old’s guitar skill, it was Paul McCartney who originally recruited George Harrison into the Beatles.

Paying tribute to Harrison on what would have been the Beatle’s 77th birthday, Paul kept his message short but sweet.

“Happy Birthday my old chum,” McCartney wrote via his official Instagram. “Love Paul.”

View this post on Instagram

Happy Birthday my old chum. Love Paul #PaulMcCartney @georgeharrisonofficial #GeorgeHarrison #TheBeatles

A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney) on Feb 25, 2020 at 8:05am PST

Following Paul’s comments, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr also paid his respects.

“Happy Birthday George,” Ringo shared, “I miss you, man. Peace and love.”

Happy birthday George I miss you man peace and love ❤️ 😎✌️🌟❤️🎵🎶🍎🥦🦏☮️ pic.twitter.com/bOUBoA8sR2

— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) February 25, 2020

John Lennon‘s estate as well as George Harrison’s wife Olivia also posted messages to mark the occasion.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GEORGE!⠀ What's your favourite John & George song, story or picture? #happybirthdaygeorge⠀ Celebrate George's birthday with the John & George Spotify playlist at http://bit.ly/JohnGeorge⠀ ⠀ John: I did the organ on ‘I’m Down’. I decided to play it on stage for the first time. I was putting my foot on it and George couldn’t play for laughing. I didn’t really know what to do, because I felt naked without a guitar, so I was doing all Jerry Lee – I was jumping about and I only played about two bars of it. It was marvellous. It was the biggest crowd we ever played to, anywhere in the world. It was the biggest live show anybody’s ever done, they told us. And it was fantastic, the most exciting we’ve done. They could almost hear us as well, even though they were making a lot of noise, because the amplification was tremendous.

A post shared by John Lennon (@johnlennonofficial) on Feb 25, 2020 at 4:27am PST

George Harrison passed away in 2001 from lung cancer.

“I knew George before I knew any of the others,” Paul shared at the time of George’s death, “and I loved that man. I’m so proud to have known him.”

“I didn’t know how to act,” Ringo told Rolling Stone of his reaction to John Lennon’s death in 2019. “And then I got back to L.A., and I grieved, and then, of course, you always go through the grief. And George, the same. [He tears up; his voice starts shaking.] I’m such an old crybaby. He’s laying there very ill — not long. And I’ve got to go to Boston, ’cause my daughter’s having an operation. And so I said, “Well, you know, I’ve got to go, George,” and he says, ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ You know, he’s dying in a bit: ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ How many people say great things like that to you, really give themselves?”

“Death held no terrors for George at all,” actor Michael Palin told UK publication The Telegraph following the Beatle’s passing. “He’d got all that worked out. He had a spirituality. He said that he was going on somewhere else. He didn’t want people to grieve and feel this was the end.”