Louise Harrison
George Harrison’s sister Louise has passed away.
George Harrison’s sister Louise Harrison passed away peacefully on Sunday, 29th of January 2023. She died peacefully at the age of 91 at her assisted living home in Florida.
George Harrison was the first beatle to visit USA, in 1963. Together with his brother, he went to visit his sister, who was married in USA and lived in Benton, Illinois.
The author of the book «My Kid Brother’s Band A.k.a. the Beatles!» in 1963, Louise promoted the Beatles on every media source in the Benton region that was ready to listen, back before they broke through in USA. She sent petitions to radio and television stations, mailed letters, made calls, and wrote detailed letters to Brian Epstein, the manager of the Beatles, advicing him on how to break the band into the American market.
Throughout the years 1964 and 1965, she was responsible for the composition and the broadcast of daily Beatle reports.
When the Beatles arrived in USA in February 1964, George fell ill and Louise came to the hotel where they were staying and took care of her brother.
George and Lou
Lou leaves behind her daughter, Leslie, and grandson, Tory, and her daughter-in-law Carol, her grandson Robert, and great grandson Gunner. She is also survived by her brother, Harry and sister-in-law Irene, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, including George’s son Dhani Harrison.
Louise was a straight shooting pistol. Feisty and fun, who was her brother’s protector and cheerleader til her dying day. I met and got to know her through her wonderful California benefactor Brian Vincik, who treated her like she was the Queen of Liverpool. And she probably was. Louise brooked no interference, particularly when it came to George, and I remember she loved to talk about the old days, and the time she marched into local radio stations in the Chicago area and asked–nay demanded–that they play early records of this unknown pop group called the Beatles which just happened to include her bruvver George. Louise could be a pain in the you know where. She was opinionated and demanding and her goals were savagely single-minded. To her dying day she constantly and proudly waved the George Harrison flag.
Isn’t it a pity that I didn’t get to know her?
Very sad. Seems there are very few of the Beatles family (of that era), close associates and friends left now.
So sad. But at least now she can see George
Do we know how Harry and Irene are – they must also be in their late 80’s/90’s – there is no news of them in the Uk as far as I know
Indeed, it’ the first confirmation that Harry is still alive for a long, long time. Wasn’t he working for George at Friar Park? Perhaps he still lives on the estate.
It’s a pity that Louise and George fell out so badly, though I seem to recall I read that there was some kind of reconciliation near the end of his life.
Harry was born in 1934, so he’s getting on a bit. Louise visited George when he was hospitalised in New York before his passing and the two made peace with each other.
I heard that once George died, Olivia pulled her payment allowance away just for (stubbornly) trying to run her Beatles’ themed Hard Days Night hotel. I thought that was very sad and I hoped it was restored or maybe wasn’t true to begin with.
I stopped in Benton, IL, in 2015 on a road trip just to see the old Harrison house. It was a Beatles-theme B&B for a while, now it seems to be subdivided into apartment units.