Born: 23 June, 1940, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Quarry Men's first electric bass player and the person who suggested the name Beetles (John later added the 'a'). A genuinely brilliant painter, he and John became best friends while the two of them were attending Liverpool Art College in 1959. As a member of the Student Union Committee (along with Mersey Beat founder Bill Harry), he appointed college money to buy a public address system so that the Quarry Men could play at school dances. The group later sold the system in Germany, which got them in trouble with the college.
Sutcliffe was attracted to the Beatles by John's rock 'n' roll affectations and spurred on by John, bought a bass using money from the sale of his first painting, even though he had no prior musical experience. Soon thereafter, he joined John, Paul, George, Tommy Moore and Johnny Gentle on their 1960 tour of Scotland.
During the group's first trip to Hamburg in August 1960, Sutcliffe fell in love with German photographer Astrid Kirchnerr and decided to remain there to study art after their second trip. Over the following months, he suffered from mysterious and excruciating headaches. When the Beatles arrived for their third stint in Hamburg in April 1962, they found that their dear friend had died two days earlier of a brain haemorrhage.
Died: April, 1962, Hamburg, Germany