Ringo Starr Joined in a Bizarre Ritual Before Beatles Manager Brian Epstein’s Funeral

Ringo Starr was the man who put the beat in The Beatles. He played beats that remain some of the best ever laid down, and he showed incredible kindness to his bandmates, such as having a genuinely pure Ringo reaction when John Lennon brought Yoko Ono into The Beatles’ orbit. Yet the drummer’s success might not have happened without the help of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, and a devastated Ringo joined a bizarre ritual before Epstein’s funeral.

Ringo Starr and The Beatles didn’t attend manager Brian Epstein’s funeral

Epstein understood The Beatles’ talents early and took it upon himself to manage them. He did it all for the Fab Four, from booking shows to helping them become movie stars. Epstein pushed them hard, but the Beatles might not have become such an iconic band without his guiding presence.

John once said Epstein was such a part of The Beatles that going anywhere without him was like going out in public without pants. 

Epstein tightly controlled The Beatles, so he played a crucial role in Ringo joining the band. The drummer recalls Epstein calling to extend the offer, and the manager did the dirty work of firing Ringo’s predecessor, Pete Best. 

The Fab Four didn’t attend Epstein’s funeral. As Michael Seth Starr (no relation to Ringo) writes in With a Little Help, they didn’t want to be a distraction. Still, Ringo performed a bizarre ritual the night before the funeral as a way to say goodbye to his friend.

Ringo was part of a bizarre ritual as he attempted to contact Epstein during a séance the night before his funeral

Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose in August 1967 at age 32. His was the second death in the family as his father, Harry, died in July 1967.

Ringo and The Beatles didn’t attend the funeral to avoid turning the somber affair into a media circus. The Fab Four attended an October 1967 memorial service for Brian Epstein, but Ringo joined in a strange ritual the night before the August 29, 1967, funeral for his former manager. 

“Ringo was ‘so gutted’ by Epstein’s death that the night before the funeral, he asked [singer] Cilla Black (who was also managed by Brian) to join him in a séance in an attempt to contact his spirit,” Starr writes in With a Little Help. “‘In the end, the Maharishi [Mahesh Yogi] told Ringo not to hold on to Brian — to love him but let him go because we were all powerful forces who could halt him on his natural progression to heaven,’ Black wrote. ‘The message helped all of us.'”

The busy Beatles didn’t have a chance to give Epstein a proper goodbye, whether in person or at the funeral. Ringo joined in a bizarre ritual the night before Epstein’s funeral in hopes of seeing with him one more time.

The Beatles’ drummer has given some thought to his own funeral

Ringo has never eaten pizza, and he’ll likely leave this mortal coil without trying a slice. The drummer appears healthy and active for someone in his 80s, but he has given some thought to his own funeral.

It would be only fitting for a talented musician to have a rocking playlist at his send-off, and Ringo revealed he wants “Octopus’s Garden” played at his funeral. It makes sense to have the tune on the playlist as it is one of just two songs he placed on Beatles albums.

At the same time, Ringo’s long solo career has produced several standout songs. Many would be perfect choices to join “Octopus’s Garden” on Ringo’s funeral playlist. When he dies, it will be up to someone else to try and reach Ringo Starr via a bizarre, pre-funeral séance ritual.

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