Brian Epstein - Legacy

Legacy

Epstein was overlooked when Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr were honoured with the MBE in 1965, even though Harrison had once said that the MBE stood for "Mister Brian Epstein". The Beatles were among the earliest entrants into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Epstein has not been included in the Hall's "Non-Performer's Section". Martin Lewis—previously Taylor's assistant—created The Official Brian Epstein Website, which includes a petition that Epstein be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lewis also organised the 1998 re-publication, in the US, of Epstein's 1964 autobiography, A Cellarful of Noise.

McCartney summarised the importance of Epstein when he was interviewed in 1997 for a BBC documentary about Epstein, saying, "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian". In his 1970 Rolling Stone interview, Lennon commented that Epstein's death marked the beginning of the end for the group: "I knew that we were in trouble then... I thought, 'We've fuckin' had it now'". Thirty years after Epstein's death, McCartney said, "Brian would really be happy to hear how much we loved him". The first contract between The Beatles and Epstein was auctioned in London in 2008, fetching £240,000.

Epstein was once asked about the future of The Beatles, and as he termed it, their "fresh honesty", which the interviewer thought could be "corrupted by time". He replied by saying, "I think they will go in the reverse direction, and become more honest."