Paul McCartney revealed that he still speaks to his late Beatles bandmate George Harrison – through a tree.
Harrison died at age 58 in 2001, after a battle with lung cancer. But before he died, the “Here Comes The Sun” singer gave McCartney a pine tree that now grows on the grounds of his Sussex property and which he believes contains the spirit of Harrison.
McCartney, 78, told NPR’s All things considered: “George was very fond of horticulture, a very good gardener. Then he gave me a tree as a gift: It’s a big pine tree and it’s near my gate.
“As I leave the house this morning, I get out of the car, close the gate, look at the tree and say, ‘Hi, George.’ There he is, growing strongly.
“And you know, it takes me back to the time when I hitchhiked with him! They are [Harrison and John Lennon] an ever-present presence. “
He added: “It is beautiful. He gave it to me, so I just planted it. But then, over the years, every time I look at it, I think, ‘This is the tree that George gave me.’ George went into that tree for me. I hope he is happy with that. “
The “Hey Jude” singer recently joined Beatles drummer Ringo Starr to record some new songs.
And he opened up about how grateful he was to have the chance to reconnect with John Lennon before his death.
Their relationship became strained after Lennon left the band, leading to his breakup after the release of his final album, Let it be, in 1970.
Lennon was murdered by obsessed fan Mark Chapman outside his New York apartment on December 8, 1980, at the age of 40.
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