As news of Thursday’s (November 29) death of George Harrison spread through the music world, Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards issued the following statements. Jagger spoke of Harrison’s pioneering musicianship, saying, “I am very saddened by George’s death and will miss him enormously. As a guitarist, he invented many classic lines that were much copied by others, and he wrote several very beautiful songs that we will always remember. He was a very complex character, both quiet and funny with a very sweet nature, but he also could be rather combative at times. He was the first musician I knew who developed a truly spiritual side and he was generous with his time to both charity and to friends.”
Richards said of his musical kinship with Harrison, “To me-George was, always will be, above all, a real gentle-man, in the full meaning of the word. We both felt we held similar positions in our respective bands, which formed a special knowing bond between us. Let’s hope he’s jamming with John (Lennon).”
