Sir George Martin Has Died

Sir George Martin, producer and arranger of the Beatles, who also was a composer, arranger, conductor, musician and audio engineer, died today at the age of 90 in Coleshill, Wiltshire, England.  (Note:  several websites merely publish Martin's place of death as the generic Wiltshire, England.  Wiltshire is a county; according to the newspaper 'The Gazette and Herald', Martin died in Coleshill, Wiltshire.)

The death was announced by Ringo Starr of the Beatles via his Twitter account, when he said, "God bless George Martin peace and love to Judy and his family love Ringo and Barbara. George will be missed."

British 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."

Martin, who has been referred to as the "Fifth Beatle", because of his extensive involvement on all of the Beatles' original albums, produced 30 #1 songs in the U.K. and 23 in the United States.  In addition to producing the group, Martin had a great talent for arranging strings, such as on the songs "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday".


Martin, who was head of Parlophone Records in the U.K., signed the Beatles to a recording contract in 1962, but suggested the group replace drummer Pete Best with Ringo Starr.

Martin studied at Guildhall School of Music and played the oboe professionally before beginning his career in the recording industry.  During his seven-decade career, Martin won six Grammy Awards and was the recipient of the Grammy Foundation's Leadership Award.  In 1965, Martin was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the music in the movie A Hard Day's Night.

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

Martin also produced for artists such as Celine Dion, Sting and Meat Loaf.