According to reports, Paul McCartney turned down the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award that the Brit panel wanted to award him this year, because, at 63, he doesn't want to be considered a 'has-been' and is afraid that such an accolade would make people think his career is over. A Britperson apparently said: "We were absolutely stunned. Sir Paul felt that if he accepted the gong, people would assume it was the end of his career when he is feeling more creative than ever."
As previously reported, the award in question will now go to Paul Weller, who is, of course, quite a bit younger than Macca.