Talking of Apple Corps, the man who led the Beatles' business empire for much of its existence died in New York this weekend aged 66.
Neil Aspinall led Apple Corps from 1970 until his retirement last year. A school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he worked with the band throughout most of their career, initially working as their road manager and PA, and even playing background instruments on a handful of tracks. But his importance in the Beatles story came about in the early seventies when he took control of the band's business ventures, which, after various often unsuccessful dabblings in the wider entertainments industry, focused mainly on protecting and profiting from the Beatles legacy and sound recordings catalogue.
As CEO of Apple Corps, Aspinall represented the band in their often fraught relationships with their record company, EMI's Parlophone, as well as fighting a drawn out legal battle with Apple Computers who the Beatles company claimed were infringing their trademark, especially whenever they operated in the music domain. He also oversaw the occasional but high profile (and highly profitable) Beatles best of releases, including the 'One' album.
Aspinall stood down as Apple Corps chief last year. There was no official reason for his departure, though it may have been because of increasing health concerns - it's thought he was suffering from and ultimately died of lung cancer.
Apple Corps, in a statement representing Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, paid tribute to Aspinall's "trusting stewardship and guidance", adding: "All his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man".
In a separate statement, Starr told reporters: "I've known Neil many years and he was a good friend. We were blessed to have him in our lives and he will be missed".
While Olivia Harrison and her son Dhani issued their own statement, saying: "Neil takes with him the love and history of his extended family. He was our constant and avuncular caretaker for so many years; there is no way to measure how much he will be missed".
Aspinall, who died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, leaves a widow and five children.