George Harrison had a long and enduring connection with Australia after his first visit in 1964. Harrison bought a house on Hamilton Island in Queensland's Whitsunday group and made frequent visits to attend the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide and Melbourne. His love affair with Australia developed despite an ugly incident in Brisbane during the Beatles' first visit.
Harrison became alarmed when the band was pelted with eggs, pies and slabs of wood by University of Queensland students waiting for them at the airport.
Journalist Bruce Wilson, who covered the Beatles arrival, yesterday recalled how Harrison kept repeating, "Very scary, very scary".
Rock historian Glenn A. Baker said Harrison was overwhelmed by the massive response the band received in Australia.
"John and Paul were able to handle it", he said. "You're talking the biggest crowds ever - the biggest crowds for the Beatles ever in the history of Beatlemania and it shook up George."
"George felt uncomfortable, he felt homesick, he felt at times distressed by it. There were moments that were very, very difficult for him."
But 20 years later he was back in Queensland to buy a luxury villa on Hamilton Island, where he would holiday about four times a year, usually combining his visits with excursions to Grand Prix events.
Hamilton Island was his second choice: the famously reclusive star had earlier tried to buy tiny Titan Island, only 20 minutes from Hamilton.
Despite his love of privacy, Harrison still made surprise appearancces: he joined Elton John midway through a Sydney gig in 1982 and two years later walked on stage during a Deep Purple concert, borrowing Richie Blackmore's guitar to join in on Lucille.
At the Benetton Grand Prix team's post race celebrations in Adelaide's Hilton Hotel in 1995, Harrison pulled an unmarked CD from his jacket and insisted the DJ play a song from it.
The song was "Free As A Bird". Harrison was breaking by a week a world embargo on the first 'new' Beatles song in 25 years, featuring old John Lennon vocals.
Two years later, when the Grand Prix had moved to Melbourne, Harrison arrived at celebrations at Crown Casino about 10:30pm. About 2am he asked bar staff if he could pull the cover from a piano to have a tinkle. He entertained guests by playing for two hours.
Baker said Harrison liked the fact he was given some degree of privacy and respect by Australians.
"I think he was probably less bothered (in Australia)," he said.
"A lot of his visits coincided with the Grand Prix and there was a reason to come. But I think he just liked the laid back nature of Australia."
"Just like John Lennon liked New Yorkers, I think (Harrison) rather liked that about Australians."
"I think he just liked the fact that he was largely left alone down here."