George Harrison’s widow Olivia and their son Dhani were en route to the holy Indian city of Varanasi on Monday to scatter the ashes of the beloved Beatle.
“They want to have a very simple and private stay in India,” reports a spokesman for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, a group which greatly influenced the famed musician. “Harrison was our dear devotee.”
George’s family reportedly plans to sprinkle his remains in the holy Ganges river, which Hare Krishna followers believe signifies the soul’s journey toward eternal consciousness.
The Quiet Beatle entered a period of personal reflection and spiritual growth while studying sitar under Ravi Shankar in the late Sixties. “Going to India was a fantastic time,” George once said. “I would go out and look at temples and go shopping, it was incredible. It was the first feeling I’d ever had of being liberated from being a Beatle or a number.”
George died on Thursday at the age of 58 after a long-fought battle with cancer. Fans worldwide continue to mourn the loss, turning up everywhere from Abbey Road to Strawberry Fields in New York’s Central Park to pay their respects. A candlelight vigil is planned for Monday in Liverpool – the birthplace of the Beatles – where Lord Mayor Gerry Scott will deliver a eulogy. A minute’s meditation will follow at the behest of Olivia, who hopes the moment of silence will be observed the world over at 6.30pm.
And while the painful loss is still fresh in the minds of millions, fans may have a last remembrance to cling to. It seems George recorded a final album in the months before he died, a disc tentatively titled Portrait Of A Leg End.
“Some of the new songs are very poignant, concerning his life in the past few years,” California-based drummer Jim Keltner, who plays on the recording, told the Sunday Times. “The CD is very close to finishing.”
Olivia will reportedly decide the fate of the album which includes A Horse To Water, the song George recorded with his son Dhani on October 1. The track is included on a Jools Holland compilation and is tipped to be a number one single this Christmas.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
