Sir Paul McCartney has hailed the late Beatles tour manager Tony Bramwell a beloved “companion”.
The ‘Let It Be’ singer, 81, paid tribute to Tony Bramwell after news broke on Thursday (06.06.24) he had died aged 79 on 2 June from a short illness, following a decades-long music career than saw him discover Queen and tour manage The Beatles.
Sir Paul said online: “Sad to hear of the passing of Tony Bramwell. He was a good companion to us through The Beatles’ journey.
“Always up for a laugh and I’m sorry to see him leave. Thanks Tony. Love ya! From Paul.”
Before becoming The Beatles tour boss, Tony was a childhood friend of Paul and his bandmates George Harrison and John Lennon.
The music mogul was at the centre of the Fab Four’s rise to fame, working with them before they found unprecedented global success.
The official Beatles Instagram page also posted a heartfelt tribute to the late tour manager.
Referring to The Beatles music publishing company, it said: “Tony worked on many NEMS (North End Music Stores) and Apple projects, from music videos to photo shoots, PR and more and will be missed by many friends and colleagues.”
The tribute was accompanied by a photo taken while The Beatles filmed the music video for Strawberry Fields Forever on 30 January, 1967.
Also among those fondly remembering Tony was The Liverpool Beatles Museum.
It posted online: “Everyone at the Liverpool Beatles Museum Mathew Street is saddened to hear of the recent passing of Tony Bramwell.
“He was a lovely man. We enjoyed his company on many occasions. Condolences to his family.”
And in a tribute posted on the Strawberry Field website, John Lennon’s sister Julia Baird, 54, said: “Tony was the ‘man in the know’ as he was around for the bulk of the Beatles journey. He will be missed at Beatle Week.”
Singer Stephen Bishop, 72, famed for hits including ‘On and On’, was among the famous faces paying tribute to Tony.
He said on social media: “I’m sad to hear of the passing of @BeatlesFriend Tony Bramwell. We met initially in 1976, at @PaulMcCartney Buddy Holly’s Publishing party.
“Tony was always so kind to me over the years and an important part of @thebeatles history.”
