THE FIFTH BEATLE
NEIL ASPINALL
My first encounter with George was behind the school air-raid shelters. This great mass of shaggy hair loomed up and an out-of-breath voice requested a quick drag of my Woodbine. It was one of the first cigarettes either of us had smoked. We spluttered our way through it bravely but gleefully.
– Neil Aspinall
Neil Stanley Aspinall was born on 13 October 1941 in Prestatyn, Wales, where his mother had been evacuated during the air raids in Liverpool. His father missed the birth as he was serving with the Navy.
Mother and baby arrived back in Liverpool in 1942. After passing the eleven-plus, he gained a place at the Liverpool Institute where he was in the same class as Paul for English and art. He met George at school, but by the end of his schooling, it was Pete Best who was his closest friend.
He left the institute with eight GCEs and started to train as an accountant, but as Pete and The Beatles got more and more gigs, he left his traineeship to become the band’s full-time driver and assistant. He also moved in as a lodger to the Best family home where he began an affair with Pete’s mother, Mona.
In July 1962, Mona gave birth to Vincent ‘Roag’ Best, and though she named her husband Johnny as his father on the birth certificate, he was in fact Neil’s son.
Passing the time on tour. George speaks with Neil Aspinall during a game of Monopoly. Alamy
Soon after, Neil accompanied Pete to Epstein’s office when Pete was told that he was being replaced. Despite his loyalties to the Best family, Neil decided to continue working for The Beatles not only as their road manager, but as a confidant, fixer and help in the studio.
After The Beatles split up, Neil continued to oversee the running of Apple Corps, taking care of the band’s legacy and business – licensing deals, trademark issues – as well as bringing together the Anthology project. He also founded a film production company, Standby Films Ltd, with his wife. He retired from Apple in 2007, and died of lung cancer in New York City in 2008. More than anyone, Neil Aspinall knew The Beatles’ secrets, but he chose to remain silent and loyal throughout his life.