Paul McCartney talked in an interview with The New York Times magazine about the last time he saw his ex-Beatles bandmate George Harrison and what they talked about it. George died victim of lung cancer at the age of 58 back in 2001.
Paul McCartney recalls the last thing George Harrison said to him:
“We said silly things. We were in New York before he went to Los Angeles to die, and they were silly but important to me. And, I think, important to him. We were sitting there, and I was holding his hand, and it occurred to me — I’ve never told this — I don’t want to hold George’s hand. You don’t hold your mate’s hands.”
“I mean, we didn’t anyway. And I remember he was getting a bit annoyed at having to travel all the time — chasing a cure. He’d gone to Geneva to see what they could do. Then he came to a special clinic in New York to see what they could do. Then the thought was to go to L.A. and see what they could do. He was sort of getting a bit, “Can’t we just stay in one place?””
“And I said: “Yes, Speke Hall. Let’s go to Speke Hall.” That was one of the last things we said to each other, knowing that he would be the only person in the room who would know what Speke Hall was. You probably know what the hell it is. (A 16th-century public garden and estate in the Liverpool neighborhood where Harrison and McCartney grew up). Anyway, the nice thing for me when I was holding George’s hands, he looked at me, and there was a smile.”
How many good Beatles stories are there left to tell that haven’t been told?
There are millions. Sometimes the reason is that they’re too private, and I don’t want to go gossiping. But the main stories do get told and told again.