The Fifth Beatle Died... Again

The fifth Beatle died... again. With the passing of Neil Aspinall at age 66 from lung cancer, the headlines read that the fifth Beatle had died. In June of 2006, Billy Preston died from chronic kidney failure and malignant hypertension, following months in a coma. Similar headlines hit the newsstands, saying the fifth Beatle had died. A few have been given that title, but which one, if any, was the real fifth Beatle?

Neil Aspinall

Neil Aspinall began as The Beatle's road manager. He then became their personal assistant. Neil continued to climb, and rose to become the CEO of Apple Corp. He stayed in that position until 2007. When Brian Epstein died, he managed the group for a short time. He also oversaw the marketing of The Beatles widespread merchandising.

Billy Preston

Billy Preston did not work with The Beatles until later in 1969, even though he had met them a number of years before that. Billy played piano, electric piano and organ in a number of the group's tracks, including "Get Back".

Pete Best

Before Ringo Starr became the drummer for The Beatles, Pete Best was the original. He was with them until 1962, then in stepped Ringo Starr. Pete went on to be a civil servant for the next two decades. He later formed his own band.

Stuart Sutcliffe

In 1961, Stuart Sutcliffe was the bass player for The Beatles. They had five members then. They were performing in Hamburg, Germany. Sutcliffe didn't return to England with the group. He died of a brain haemorrhage not long after. The Beatles decided to be a four member group, when Paul McCartney took over as base guitar player for the Fab Four.

George Martin

George Martin produced most of The Beatles records. He also wrote instrumental scores and various musical arrangements for the group including the movie Yellow Submarine. He even performed on the piano in some of their recorded tracks. "In My Life", was one of these.

Brian Epstein

Brian Epstein was The Beatle's manager for six years, from 1961 until 1967. He was a driving force behind The Beatles rise to fame. He knew a good thing when he saw it. He stuck with the group, encouraging their free creative rights in making and performing their music. He worked the business end of the group.

Tony Sheridan

Tony Sheridan was a known performer in his own right, when The Beatles came into the music scene. He recorded an album with them in Germany, where they were known as The Beat Brothers on his album. Later he changed the title on his album to The Beatles, after the group became famous.

Jimmy Nicol

During a tour in 1964, Jimmy Nicol had to take over for an ill Ringo Starr. The fans weren't too thrilled with the replacement, even though there were rumours that Ringo wouldn't be back. Some felt he was a better drummer than Ringo Starr. The fans would have none of it. Ringo returned later in the tour.

The argument could be made for any or all of these contributors to the legacy of The Beatles. If you use some of the contributions made on the list, it could arguably be said that people like Eric Clapton, Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney should be considered a fifth Beatle. They contributed to the lives and music of The Beatles too. Many people did.

Was there a fifth Beatle? It is a title that most would be proud to claim. The four man band took a lot more than four performers, to become the astronomical success and ground breaking the Fab Four were, and still are. To most die hard fans though, there were only four Beatles. Yes many contributed. Some rode the tails of success. Some were part of the group in the beginning. Some helped forge the way for The Beatles to become the phenomenon that is still with us.

Who really is the fifth Beatle?