On April 10, 1962, Stuart Sutcliffe died in the arms of his fiancée. He collapsed during an art class in Hamburg and died in an ambulance - he was just 21 years old.
Sutcliffe was an original member of the Beatles, introduced to John Lennon by a mutual friend at the Liverpool Art College. Convinced to play bass by Lennon and McCartney he joined the band on their much-mythised stint in Hamburg.
Despite his name not being echoed in the annals of music history like the rest of his former band-mates, his short life had a profound impact on the Beatles. Now, 60 years on from his death his legacy is being preserved by the Sefton Park Hotel, in Aigburth, Sutcliffe's family home from 1959 to 1971.
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The hotel is conscious of honouring Sutcliffe. Each floor marks different periods of his life, from his beginnings in Edinburgh to his death in West Germany.
Speaking to the ECHO owner Connor O’Donovan said: “His mother lived in the downstairs apartment. It is now a seating area where people have breakfast.
“We get a lot of tourists, the Beatles are one of the biggest legacies of the city along with football. It is so important to Liverpool and we get visitors from all over the world. Guests become childlike thinking John Lennon may have sat in the same spot, it is quite funny.”
A talented artist, Sutcliffe left the band in 1961 to pursue a career as a painter in Germany. As the story goes Lennon was so furious at the news a vicious fight broke out between them.
Sutcliffe's love of art is mirrored throughout the hotel; the walls are covered with pieces dedicated to him and the Beatles. Connor believes this is a “fitting tribute” to the man who left one of the most culturally significant groups of the 20th century to follow his passion.
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He said: “We took the place over 11-years-ago, and, it was quite different at the time. It was dated with a lot of swags, tails, and carpets everywhere. The previous owners did not capitalise on the Beatles as much as we have. I have always been an art lover and started collecting Beatles pieces as soon as we opened.
“Everything here runs in order and tells the story of his life in some ways it is like interactive museum. It was my friend Chris Leyva who came up with the concept so he deserves all the credit. We have memento tags on the wall so guests can scan the code and it will bring up a video or some information about the history behind the pictures.
“The guests love it and you can spend hours finding out about his life. We have copies of Stuart's artwork and photographs taken of him by his fiancee Astrid Kirchherr so you do get a sense of who he was”.
Kirchherr a native of Hamburg is credited with inventing the Beatles' mop-top haircut and said that after she cut Sutcliffe's hair, George Harrison asked her to do the same when she was visiting Liverpool.
It was Kirchherr who met the Beatles in Hamburg airport three days after Sutcliffe's death to tell them their former bandmate had died. Shocked by the death of his closest friend from a brain haemorrhage Lennon reportedly burst out in hysterical laughter.
Lennon was so distraught that he did not attend the funeral. However, he never forgot Sutcliffe and he was immortalised on the album cover of, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Connor said: “Hopefully we have been true to him and it is lovely to welcome people who are in awe of the Beatles' history and Stuart.”
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