Thursday December 30 8:11 AM ET
Ex-Beatle Harrison Stable After Stabbing
By Kate Kelland
HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England (Reuters) - An intruder armed with a knife stabbed former Beatle George
Harrison in the chest in a pre-dawn attack at his home near London Thursday, a police spokesman said.
The spokesman said Harrison, 56, was in stable condition in hospital after fighting off the intruder at his
closely guarded home in Henley-on-Thames, west of London. His wife, Olivia, was also wounded in the
attack.
''Mr. Harrison was admitted to hospital at 5 a.m. this morning. He is now stable. He had a single stab wound to the chest.
His wife was with him. She suffered minor head injuries and was not admitted,'' a spokesman for nearby Royal Berkshire
Hospital told a news conference.
Harrison, who police initially said had been stabbed four times, was in considerable pain but did not need surgery.
Police spokesman Guy Bailey said the 33-year-old attacker had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the
100-room mansion where the couple have lived for 20 years.
Neighbors described the building as ''Fort Knox'' because of the tight security around it, including patrol dogs.
Bailey said a member of the Harrisons' staff reported the attack at 3:30 a.m. It was not clear if the assailant was an
obsessed fan, like the man who shot dead ex-Beatle John Lennon in New York in 1980, or a robber, he said. But the
attacker was from Liverpool, birthplace of all the pop group's members.
Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment building on December 8, 1980, by obsessed fan Mark Chapman.
''Taste in music is pretty far down the (list of) questions police initially ask a suspected murderer,'' the spokesman told
Reuters. ''We are keeping an open mind on the motive.''
''The intruder has head injuries so there was a serious struggle put up by Harrison and his wife,'' Bailey added. Media
reports said Harrison, his wife and staff overpowered the attacker and held him until police arrived.
''Harrison's the one you'd least expect something dramatic to happen to,'' said Beatles biographer Hunter Davies. ''He's
been a recluse in many ways in the last few years. He's gone into spiritualism, spiritual things.''
Other Ex-Beatles Informed Of Attack
Harrison, the Beatles' lead guitarist, lived for many years in the shadow of Lennon and Paul McCartney and was rated a
major musician in his own right only after the ''Fab Four'' broke up.
During the group's reign, the youngest Beatle became devoted to oriental mysticism and persuaded the other Beatles to
travel to India to sit at the feet of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
''George leads a very quiet life now,'' Sir George Martin, the former Beatles' producer, said Thursday. ''He's very down to
earth. He likes nothing more than doing his garden.''
A spokesman for the Beatles record company Apple said McCartney, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and Beatles drummer
Ringo Starr had all been advised of the attack.
''Everyone is deeply shocked but relieved and thankful that George and Olivia are OK,'' Apple said in a statement.
Like the other Beatles, Harrison came from a working class family in Liverpool in northwest England. He was born on
February 25, 1943, the youngest of three sons, and became interested in music in his teens.
He learnt to play the guitar and performed at a Liverpool club after teaming up with Lennon and McCartney.
Starting in 1962, a rapid succession of hit singles made the Beatles the most famous rock and roll group in the world.
The wave of ''Beatlemania'' -- the hysterical screaming of their concert audiences -- eventually led the four to give up
touring in 1966 in order to concentrate on recording.
In 1966, Harrison married model Patti Boyd. He immersed himself in mystical philosophy, became a vegetarian and
gradually withdrew from the public glare.
After the group broke up, Harrison scored remarkable success with the single ''My Sweet Lord'' and a series of albums.
Patti left Harrison in 1974 for his long-time friend, guitarist Eric Clapton. In 1978, Harrison married his present wife,
Mexican-born Olivia Arias, and their son Dhani is now 21. |
