Neil Aspinall, the concierge to the Beatles, has died. Bummer. From the AP:

LONDON, England (AP) — Neil Aspinall, a longtime friend and business associate of The Beatles, has died in New York City at age 66.

Neil Aspinall stepped down last year as chief executive of Apple Corps.

Aspinall’s death was announced in a statement from surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, and the band’s Apple Corps Ltd. company.

Aspinall died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he had been receiving treatment. A British newspaper reported Sunday that McCartney had flown out to see him just before his death.

The statement said “all his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man.”

Aspinall stepped down last year as chief executive of Apple Corps, the guardian of the Beatles’ commercial interests.

A Liverpool school friend of McCartney and Harrison, Aspinall was The Beatles’ first road manager and would drive them to gigs in his van.

He later became their personal assistant, and in 1968 was given a management role at Apple Records, the band’s own record label.

As head of Apple Corps, Aspinall was executive producer of the hugely successful “Beatles Anthology” album and was behind other successes, including the “Beatles One” album.

“As a loyal friend, confidant and chief executive, Neil’s trusting stewardship and guidance has left a far-reaching legacy for generations to come,” the band’s statement said.

Like I said, this blows. Neil was the guy who had to keep Apple running while everyone else was out taking acid and coming up with crazy ideas and running around with Indian Mystics. Somebody had to pay bills, wake up hungover Beatles, squirrel women around, and get everybody to the gig on time. When John hired an Acid casualty named “Magic Alex” to build them a new studio, and when the project of Alex’s magic turned out to be a worthless mess that no one could use, who was there? Who had to rip everything out? Neil. That’s who. What about when they kicked out their crappy drummer right when they were starting to get famous, and no one wanted to talk to him because they were too embarrassed? Who do you think had to face Poor Ole’ Pete Best after his Sacking? Paul? No way. Neal.

He was always having to do stuff like that. Constantly. He was one of their best friends, and in the case of Paul and George, had been since childhood. He was there in the beginning, and was there in the end. And after everybody went home, and stopped being Beatles, Neal was still there, doing the things that needed doing.

If you want to know any more about this remarkable guy, check out this really good Wikipedia article.