LEGEND LOST
Tony Bramwell dead aged 78: Paul McCartney leads tributes to music mogul who discovered Queen & helped manage Beatles
Bramwell was there when Lennon and McCartney played together for the first time
A LEGENDARY music mogul who was The Beatles' tour manager and discovered Queen has died at the age of 78.
Tony Bramwell was a boyhood friend of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison and later became the Fab Four's road manager.
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The Liverpudlian was also a music industry mogul in his own right.
Bramwell knew the boys before they became global superstars and changed the world forever.
The music legend died on June 2 after suffering a short illness.
Sir Paul McCartney described Bramwell as a "good companion" as he shared a touching tribute to his friend.
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He wrote: "Sad to hear of the passing of Tony Bramwell. He was a good companion to us through the Beatles journey.
"Always up for a laugh and I’m sorry to see him leave. Thanks Tony. Love ya! From Paul."
A statement on The Beatles' official Instagram page added: "Tony worked on many NEMS and Apple projects, from music videos to photo shoots, PR and more and will be missed by many friends and colleagues."
Bramwell previously documented his experiences with The Beatles in his 2006 book Magical Mystery Tours: My Life With The Beatles.
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A quote from Let It Be singer McCartney read: "If you want to know anything about The Beatles, ask Tony Bramwell. He knows more than I do."
Born in 1946, Bramwell played Cowboys and Indians with George Harrison as a child.
McCartney and his brother Mike, who lived nearby, would often join in their games.
Bramwell was also there when McCartney met John Lennon for the first time - marking the start of one of the greatest-ever songwriting partnerships.
He later became The Beatles' road manager after becoming Brian Epstein's right-hand man and later joint head of Apple Records.
The music legend was influential in the band's use of the music video and even appears at the end of the All You Need is Love clip.
If you want to know anything about The Beatles, ask Tony Bramwell. He knows more than I do.
Paul McCartney
He also became a scout for Epstein and helped discover Paul Simon, Queen, and Eva Cassidy.
Bramwell brought Queen to Apple but at that time, all four Beatles members had to agree to sign a new act - and were in the midst of splitting up.
The iconic rock band was later signed to Parlophone Records.
In 2014, Bramwell published an autobiography of his life and described what it was like to work with the Beatles.
Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles gave behind-the-scenes stories about Yoko Ono and the meteoric rise of the Fab Four.
In his later years, Bramwell was a regular at Liverpool's iconic International Beatleweek.
The Liverpool Beatles Museum paid tribute to the "lovely man".
They said: "Everyone at the Liverpool Beatles Museum- Mathew Street is saddened to hear of the recent passing of Tony Bramwell.
"He was a lovely man. We enjoyed his company on many occasions. Condolences to his family."
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In a tribute shared on Strawberry Field's website, Lennon's sister Julia Baird said: "Tony was the 'man in the know' as he was around for the bulk of the Beatles journey.
"He will be missed at Beatle Week."
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