George Harrison and Pattie Boyd divorce

George Harrison and Pattie Boyd’s divorce was finalised on 9 June 1977.

There’s no point in getting hung up about things, you know. It’s easier just to deal with it. And you go through ups and downs and, you know, sad things, but all that for me it… like The Beatles, when we actually split up it was just the relief, we should have done it years before because you could see it coming if you look back. And the same with like marriage for me. We [George and Pattie] should have split up years before. Because all the songs to do with, you know, the miserable side of it were all done, a lot of them came before there actually was public knowledge that we split. Except there’s another one on the Dark Horse album which is a really nice song, the only problem with it is it’s sad, it’s too sad… but that’s what it was. That’s ‘So Sad’.

They had met in 1964 on the set of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night film, and married on 21 January 1966.

On first impressions, John seemed more cynical and brash than the others, Ringo the most endearing, Paul was cute and George, with velvet-brown eyes and dark chestnut hair, was the best-looking man I had ever seen. At a break for lunch I found myself sitting next to him. Being close to him was electrifying.

Their marriage ended in July 1974, and she took up with Eric Clapton. Despite that, the two guitarists remained close friends.

With hindsight I think George might have behaved as he did because it was his friend, someone he respected and loved, who was in love with his wife. He was such a selfless, generous person that he let it happen. In the end, when the divorce was negotiated in 1977 on the grounds that we had lived apart for more than two years, my lawyers insisted I must have some sort of settlement and I was persuaded to take £120,000. Apart from that I kept the red Mercedes George had given me, but Eric hated me having it so I sold it and he bought me a black AMG Mercedes, which I had for years.

Harrison died of cancer on 29 November 2001. The loss profoundly shocked Boyd, who had remained close to him in the years after their marriage ended.

I burst into tears when I heard he had died; I felt completely bereft. I couldn’t bear the thought of a world without George.

When I left him for Eric, he had said that if things didn’t work out, I could always come to him. It was such a selfless, loving thing to say.

Now that sense of security had gone. At the end I hadn’t grasped how ill he was as I hadn’t seen him for a few months. The last time had been at my cottage: he had phoned to say he was coming to Sussex to visit Ringo and Barbara and wanted to see me – I think he was curious to know where I was living. I was so glad we’d had that last meeting.