Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to The Beatles’ late press officer Tony Barrow.
The 80-year-old media expert, who coined the phrase ‘Fab Four’ to describe the band, passed away on Saturday (14.05.16) at his home in Morecambe, in the north of England.
McCartney has now taken to Twitter to remember his friend and thank him for everything he did for him, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison.
His tweets read: "Tony Barrow was a lovely guy who helped us in the early years of The Beatles. He was super professional but always ready for a laugh. (1/2) … He will be missed but remembered by many of us. (2/2) (sic)"
Liverpudlian Barrow – who began his career at Decca Records – worked with The Beatles between 1962 and 1968 and after he used the ‘Fab Four’ nickname it stuck with the ‘Love Me Do’ rockers for the rest of their career.
He got the job after The Beatles manager Brian Epstein approached him to raise the profile of the then-unsigned band and also represented Epstein’s other acts Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Once the band found chart success, Barrow would write features for magazine The Beatles Book (also known as Beatles Monthly) under a pseudonym or as one of the band members for their fans.
After his time with the foursome ended, Barrow set up his own PR company in 1968 – a year after Epstein died – and went on to represent acts such as The Kinks, The Bay City Rollers, Tony Bennett, The Monkees and The Jackson Five.
The cause of Barrow’s death is unknown at this time. He is survived by his wife Corrine, and their two sons.
Paul McCartney pays tribute to late Tony Barrow
