NEW YORK (AP) - Former
Beatles guitarist
George Harrison's ashes are reportedly being released into India's sacred Ganges River in a private ceremony in Varanasi, India, on Monday (Dec. 3), according to the BBC.
The ritual adheres to the tenets of Hare Krishna, the sect of Hindi Harrison belonged. The ceremony is likely to coincide with a scheduled one-minute meditation set for 1:30 p.m. PT Monday worldwide. In addition to the ashes released in Varanasi, holy sites in Allahabad and Brindavan, in the Indian state of Utter Pradesh, will also receive ashes. Harrison passed away on Thursday.
A public memorial is set for St. George's Hall in Liverpool on Monday as well. "This will be the city's tribute to George Harrison, and I would invite anyone who respected him for his music or his achievements to come and remember him," said Liverpool council member Mike Storey, as quoted by the BBC. "He was a modest man who did not relish pomp and circumstance, so we believe this simple candlelit vigil would be in keeping with his wishes."
In other Harrison news, the The Times of London is reporting the guitarist had 25 songs in the can for a planned "secret" album referred to as Portrait of a Leg-End. There were no further details available at press time.
Bob Dylan |
Meanwhile, the tributes keep rolling in. Here is what a few other artists have to say:
"George was a giant, a great great soul with all of the humanity, all of the wit and humor, all of the wisdom, the spirituality, the common sense of a man and compassion for people. He inspired love and had the strength of a hundred men. He was like the sun, the flowers and the moon and we will miss him enormously. The world is a profoundly emptier place without him." - Bob Dylan
"In all the years I have known George, I found him to be an incredible human being. He was a strong but gentle man who always took the time to look you in the eye and give you a straight answer. I am sure he handled his transition with the same quiet dignity that he lived all of his life. He will certainly be missed, and his music will live on forever. My only regret about the situation, apart from my personal feelings toward him and his family, is wondering what other songs were in his mind that we will never get to hear." - Graham Nash
Santana |
"Although I never knew
George Harrison personally, his passing is a great loss to anyone who loves music.
George was always the quiet Beatle, but his notes will resonate and live on forever with great power and passion." -
Santana "The Beatles are the Beatles. I think one of the things I appreciated most about their music was there was a lot of whimsy -- a great sense of humor in their music. And it really came from a love of it and not out of trying to make hits. That's probably what I think of most about the Beatles." - Jewel
"I think there is no way any band today can say they weren't inspired by the Beatles. For us, they were a couple of generations separated so the bands I looked up to were just hand-me-downs from the Beatles. When George Harrison died, it was a shock to all of us and definitely a big loss for rock and roll." - Creed's Mark Tremonti
Dave Matthews |
"I loved
George Harrison. He was my favorite Beatle. He brought Eastern influence to the Western world, opened people's eyes, and really affected our culture at the time. His recent statement about having cancer and not being afraid summed him up in ways. He touched the whole world." - Tim Burgess,
Charlatans U.K. "I don't think there was any group of people that affected me more than the Beatles - at least musically - and it's sad that everything moves on and people roll over. But we can all hope to have a life nearly as full as George Harrison's. He left a beautiful mark here and we should be grateful for that and celebrate his passing." -- Dave Matthews
