The man who was often referred to as the “Fifth Beatle” was born on January 3, 1926, in London. The renowned Beatles producer, George Martin, earned virtually every music-related honor in his lifetime including six Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to name a few.

He received Knighthood from HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. Martin died in his sleep on March 8, 2016, at age 90 at his home. The cause of death was never disclosed.

The Parlophone Records executive famously met with Fab Four manager Brian Epstein in 1962 after all other British record labels had passed on the quartet. Martin signed them soon after.

In 2017, the two late Beatles’ social media accounts acknowledged Martin with some beautiful images. From John Lennon’s Twitter account…

Sir George Martin 3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016 pic.twitter.com/wo2m4NoH8Y

— John Lennon (@johnlennon) January 3, 2017

From George Harrison’s Twitter account…

#OTD 3JAN1926 @thebeatles producer Sir George Martin was born in London. pic.twitter.com/SokJxm2Ipw

— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) January 3, 2017

From the Beatles’ promising beginning through the days of toe-tapping hits like “Can’t Buy Me Love” of the British Invasion and Beatlemania to the group’s growth and development of songs with orchestral arrangements like “All You Need is Love” and the complexity of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Martin was a significant force and influence.

Watch Lennon talk about what they learned from each other, in this interview with “Whispering” Bob Harris

The Beatles were constantly overlooked by the Recording Academy for Grammy consideration, winning just seven. In 2008, Martin and his son, Giles, earned Grammy Awards for their production of the 2006 Beatles album, Love. It proved to be the senior Martin’s final production.

A tweet from Giles in 2020…

Happy Birthday Dad x you did do many great things in life… most importantly you were kind and compassionate throughout. What I miss most is our humour we had. Go well x pic.twitter.com/BROu27aPB1

— Giles Martin (@mashupmartin) January 3, 2020

Related: Our 2016 interview with Giles Martin, who has been producing many Beatles reissues

And another tweet from Giles, from 2022, with a home video of his father explaining to his granddaughter why he signed The Beatles…

I don’t normally share anything personal but this my dad from a while back explaining to my daughter he signed the Beatles. Ordinary people do extraordinary things. Great decisions are made for the simplest reasons. “I figured if I like them this much other people might too” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/j4bf96b4zS

— Giles Martin (@mashupmartin) January 19, 2022