27 Aug 1967: Brian Epstein was found dead - 'Midas Man' biopic still on work

By editorial board on August 27, 2023

Late on the night of Sunday 27 August 1967, The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein was found dead at his home in Chapel Street, London.

"At about three o'clock on Saturday, October 28th, 1961, an eighteen-year-old boy called Raymond Jones, wearing jeans and black leather jacket, walked into a record-store in Whitechapel, Liverpool, and said:

'There's a record I want. It's "My Bonnie" and it was made in Germany. Have you got it?' Behind the counter was Brian Epstein, twenty-seven, director of the store. He shook his head. 'Who is the record by?' he asked. 'You won't have heard of them,' said Jones. 'It's by a group called The Beatles"

At the time The Beatles were in Bangor. They did not attend the funeral, in order to not attract the media and fans, but were present at a memorial service at the New London Synagogue. Epstein is buried at the Kirkdale Jewish Cemetery in Liverpool.

That day, (26, Aug) Epstein had invited his assistant Peter Brown and the chief executive of NEMS, Geoffrey Ellis, to spend the bank holiday weekend at Kingsley Hill, his house in Warbleton, East Sussex. At the time The Beatles were in Bangor, north Wales, with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

 

Epstein was disappointed at the prospect of having to spend the long public holiday with two friends he saw frequently, and following dinner – during which he drank a considerable amount – Epstein chose to drive back to London in his Bentley convertible.

 

Shortly after Epstein’s exit, a London taxi arrived at Kingsley Hill containing four people Epstein had invited. Although surprised that the host had left, they stayed the night at the house, partying with Brown and Ellis.

Epstein’s Spanish butler, Antonio, and his wife Maria, saw their employer when he returned late on the Friday, but heard nothing from him on the Saturday. "I knocked on the door and I called out his name. I called, ‘Answer the door. Are you there?’ And then I went up to my room and I tried the intercom, and there was no reply…"

"Antonio and John Galway broke the doors down. I think in the meantime I’d called Peter back and left the line hanging. Then I went up as they broke the doors down."

Antonio and John Galway were in and I followed them. Maria was staying behind. The curtains were drawn and John Galway was directly ahead of me. I could just see part of Brian in the bed and I was just totally stunned. I knew that something really bad had happened. Then I think John Galway told me, ‘Just wait outside.’ I stood in the doorway. A few minutes later John Galway came out. I’ve never seen a doctor so white. We were all white and we knew that Brian had died.

Joanne Newfield
The Brian Epstein Story, Deborah Geller

Paul McCartney and his girlfriend, Jane Asher, drove back to London in a chauffeur-driven car after hearing the news.



As The Beatles retired from live performance in 1966, Epstein found his influence on the group waning. He had used amphetamines from the earliest days with the band, but his use of pills became an increasing problem as he became more involved in the London drug scene of the 1960s.

Lennon and McCartney each owned 20%, and Epstein owned 9%. By 1969, Lennon and McCartney had lost control of all publishing rights to ATV Music Publishing. Still, Epstein's death in 1967 marked the beginning of the group's dissolution and had a profound effect on each Beatle. In 1997, Paul McCartney said, "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian."

During the recording of Sgt Pepper, Epstein spent time trying to kick his drug habit, including spells in the Priory in Putney, London.

Brian Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose on 27 August 1967. His death was most likely due to a build-up of the sedative Carbitral, mixed with alcohol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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