Sir George Martin, producer for The Beatles, dies aged 90  (2025)

Sir Paul McCartney has led tributes to The Beatles' legendary producer George Martin, describing him as 'like a second father to him' in a heartfelt statement.

Sir George, known as the 'Fifth Beatle', died aged 90 on Tuesday. He is said to have died peacefully at home in Coleshill, near Swindon and is survived by his second wife Judy and his four children.

He helped The Beatles achieve global success while head of the Parlophone record label after hearing their demo tape in 1962, taking a chance on the young band when they had been refused by every other record label.

In a statement, Sir Paul said: 'He was a true gentleman and like a second father to me. He guided the career of The Beatles with such skill and good humour that he became a true friend to me and my family. If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George.

'From the day that he gave The Beatles our first recording contract, to the last time I saw him, he was the most generous, intelligent and musical person I've ever had the pleasure to know.'

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, 75, announced the news on Twitter, writing: 'God bless George Martin peace and love to Judy and his family love Ringo and Barbara George will be missed.'

He captioned a picture of the Fab Four and Sir George with the phrase: 'Thank you for all your love and kindness George peace and love.'

Sir George Martin's family have since released a statement thanking 'everyone for their thoughts, prayers and messages of support'.

His manager Adam Sharp paid tribute to him as 'a true gentleman to the end'.

In a statement Mr Sharp said: 'In a career that spanned seven decades he was an inspiration to many and is recognised globally as one of music's most creative talents. He was a true gentleman to the end.'

Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon, tweeted: 'R.I.P. George Martin. I'm so gutted I don't have many words.'

In a career spanning seven decades, Sir George, who celebrated his 90th birthday in January, signed the Beatles and produced more than 700 records - remaining one of the most influential producers in popular music history.

Often called 'the Fifth Beatle', he gave the Beatles their first recording contract and produced virtually all of their music.

At that point the band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best.The Liverpool quartet had been turned down by every record company as they tried to make it in the music business.

But when Martin - then head of the Parlophone label - heard their demo tape in 1962, and attended an audition session, a partnership was born which, with the addition of Starr later that year, would turn the Fab Four into the world's greatest band and change the face of popular music forever.

His genteel manners and refined accent saw Martin regarded as a 'toff' who guided the working-class Beatles to fame.

In reality he was a carpenter's son from Holloway, north London.

Born into a poor family, he taught himself to play the piano by ear, and went on to win a place at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music.

Born in London on January 3,1926, and after leaving the Navy in 1947, he studied piano and oboe.

In the 1950s, he recorded jazz, lounge, and comedy records for Parlophone, where he eventually became head of A&R.

Sir George won several Grammy Awards over the years.

For The Beatles' first U.S. single, 'Please Please Me,' in November 1962, he convinced the boys to speed up the tempo, making it a hit.

According to legend he told them 'Gentlemen, you have just made your first No. 1 record,' from the control room.

Sir George also served as The Beatles' arranger and suggested strings be added to 'Yesterday,' which would become one of the most covered songs of all time.

He also produced albums for Gerry and The Pacemakers, Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick and Celine Dion.

After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and played the oboe professionally in London before joining the recording industry.

In 1998, he produced In My Life, an album of Beatles songs performed by actors and musicians including Sean Connery, Goldie Hawn, Robin Williams, Celine Dion and Phil Collins.

Martin produced it as a musical swansong, he said at the time.

'I've had a bloody good innings,' said Martin. 'Knowing that I would have to finish, I decided I would make my own last record. It's a kind of tribute, too, to all the people that I've been lucky to work with over the years.'

Over his career, he was awarded two Ivor Novello awards, six Grammys and in 2008 was the recipient of the Grammy Foundation's Leadership Award.

In 1965 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the music in A Hard Day's Night and in 1984 he received the Brit award for outstanding contribution to music, having been named best British producer at the first Brit awards in 1977.

In 2012, the BBC filmed a documentary about his life, Produced By George Martin.

Up until his death, he continued to write music, work with charities and advise broadcasters, according to the website for the independent music publisher he set up in 1969.

His son Giles is also a producer who has worked at Abbey Road studios, where Sir George helped the Beatles perform the world's first live global broadcast.

Tributes for Sir George flooded in from within and outside the music industry.

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: 'Sir George Martin was a giant of music - working with the Fab Four to create the world's most enduring pop music.'

Singer Lenny Kravitz wrote on Twitter: 'The legends are really going home! Visionary producer of TheBeatles, George Martin (1926-2016).'

Liam Gallagher wrote simply: 'Sir George Martin RIP LG x'

Television presenter and journalist Piers Morgan said: 'RIP Sir George Martin. The 5th Beatle, producer extraordinaire & a musical genius.'

Queen guitarist Brian May wrote on his personal blog: 'So sad to hear of the passing of the great George Martin. Very Sad, and sincere condolences to his family.

'But also ... What a glorious innings ! Always always positive, and deeply thoughtful and creative, the man was a gentle giant of popular music.'

He said his 'first knowledge' of Sir George had come when he was producing The Temperance Seven, a seven-piece jazz band with hits including You're Driving Me Crazy and Pasadena.

May said: 'I adored that work and still do - a great influence. And related one-off projects like Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren.

'George obviously had a real magic, even then. When he later became the 'in house' producer for the Beatles, history was made - and a fabulous catalogue of work.

'I didn't know him well, but our few conversations were full of light. Massive respects and love. Bless you George!'

Bill Heckle, one of the directors of Liverpool's Cavern Club, said: 'There were two Georges in The Beatles - that is our feeling.

'Without Sir George Martin there would never have been The Beatles.

'He was an integral part of it.'

John Lennon said in 1971: 'George Martin made us what we were in the studio.'He helped us develop a language to talk to other musicians.'

Sir George was knighted in 1996and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Sir George also wrote three books, including his 1979 autobiography, All You Need is Love, co-written with Jeremy Hornsby.

Also in 2011, he produced a documentary called Produced by George Martin, whichgained worldwide acclaim.

The 'toff' carpenter's son who gave four boys from Liverpool a chance - and changed the face of music forever

With his suave manners and cut-glass accent, he was widely seen as the London 'toff' who guided the working-class Liverpudlian Beatles to fame.

In reality he was a carpenter's son from Holloway, north London.

George Martin, born in January 1926 to a poor family, was not given expensive music lessons.He taught himself to play piano by ear, going on to win a place at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music.

It was perhaps this raw passion for music which led him to give a jobbing band from Liverpool a chance.

By 1962, The Beatles had been turned down by every record company as they tried to make it in the music business.

But when Martin - then head of the Parlophone label - heard their demo tape in 1962,and attended an audition session, he spotted something special.

There began the partnership which would turn the Fab Four into the world's greatest band and change the face of popular music.

Not only did he give the band their record deal, but he brought their visions to life and pieced together their recordings from fragments of tape amassed during long hours in the Abbey Road studios.

'I've been cast in the role of schoolmaster, the toff, the better-educated, and they've been the urchins that I've shaped,' he said of the Beatles.

'It's a load of poppycock, really, because our backgrounds were very similar. Paul and John went to quite good schools. We didn't pay to go to school, my parents were very poor.

'Again, I wasn't taught music and they weren't, we taught ourselves.

'As for the posh bit, you can't really go through the Royal Navy and get commissioned as an officer and fly in the Fleet Air Arm without getting a little bit posh. You can't be like a rock 'n' roll idiot throwing soup around in the wardroom.'

Before attending the Guildhall, he spent the years from 1943 to 1948 as an observer with the British Fleet Air Arm, rising to the rank of lieutenant - a period which saw him shed his Cockney accent.

On his return from service, Martin enrolled at the Guildhall and made a living playing the oboe in bars and clubs around London.

He married first wife Sheena at 22 and they had two children.

His first job after graduation was in the BBC's music library.

From there he moved on to an assistant position at record label Parlophone, a division of EMI, and rose to become its head by 1955, aged 29.

It was there he met second wife Judy, his boss's secretary, with whom he also had two children.

Martin produced jazz artists including Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton and Stan Getz.

He was also responsible for comic recordings from the likes of Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, along with the Beyond The Fringe team of Jonathan Miller, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Alan Bennett.

But it was a phone call from music publisher Syd Coleman in February 1962 which changed the course of his life.

Coleman said he had met a man called Brian Epstein, who managed a new band called the Beatles, and would Martin be interested in hearing their demo?

When Martin heard the tape - which featured versions of Besame Mucho and Three Cool Cats, as well as originals such as Hello Little Girl and Like Dreamers Do - and went on to meet them, he realised their potential.

'I liked them as people apart from anything else, and I was convinced that we had the makings of a hit group,' he said.

But he was not convinced they had songwriting ability.

'As composers, they didn't rate. They hadn't shown me that they could write anything at all,' he told Melody Maker. 'Love Me Do I thought was pretty poor, but it was the best we could do.'

Nevertheless, Love Me Do was the band's first single and reached number four in October 1962.

Follow-up release Please Please Me made number two.

Their third single From Me To You went to number one in April 1963 - the first of 17 chart-topping hits.

During their time together Martin also composed scores for the Beatles films A Hard Day's Night - which earned him an Oscar nomination - and Yellow Submarine, which was nominated for a Grammy.

After the band split, Martin started his own music publishing company and set about working with other artists.

In the mid-1970s, he began building his famous Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat.

He worked with the likes of Jeff Beck, Bob Dylan, Sting and Sir Elton John and recorded two of Paul McCartney's solo albums, Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace.

His awards include two Ivor Novellos and in 1999 he was inducted into the American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Martin co-produced Sir Elton John's Candle In The Wind, which was released to mark the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and sold 37 million copies.

Around the same time he revealed that decades in the music business had taken their toll - he began to go deaf.

He was knighted by the Queen in 1996 and six years later arranged the musical celebrations for her Golden Jubilee.

Martin continued to produce Beatles music to the end of his career.

In 1995 he started work on the Beatles Anthology and in 2006 produced the Love album, a re-working of the band's songs born out of a Las Vegas stage show with circus troupe Cirque Du Soleil and made with his producer son, Giles.

'This is the very last time I shall work on any Beatles' record. I'm 80 years old, for Christ's sake,' he said on its release.

Asked for his favourite Beatles memory, Martin said: 'If I had to pick just one it would be in 1966, the first ever time I heard Strawberry Fields Forever.

'John played it to me on his acoustic guitar. That moment I shall never forget. It was a wonderful thing to happen and it stays with me even now.'

Martin was always adamant that pop and rock could have as much worth as classical music.

'What is the function of rock'n'roll? It's the same as the function of classical music - to make sounds that are appealing to a mass of people and are of some worth,' he once said.

'I'm a person who deals in music, and rock'n'roll happened to be part of it.'