Tears for our sweet George

Hundreds of tearful fans made a pilgrimage to Abbey Road studios in London as part of a worldwide tribute to former Beatle George Harrison. Mourners lit candles and laid flowers at the entrance to the studios, where the Beatles recorded some of their greatest hits, and observed a one-minute silence.

Wilma Skinner, 44, from Gillingham, Kent, said: "I have loved George since I was five. He was my first love. I was devastated when he died. This is a lovely communal event for all these fans who are grieving."

Harvey Creighton, 30, who had travelled from his home in Gloucester to take part, said: "Musically the Beatles were just the greatest phenomenon ever.

"I felt absolutely shocked when I heard George had died. It was beyond comprehension but I would like to think he has gone to a better place."

Gillian Prist, 45, from Mitcham, Surrey, added: "It was a beautiful experience. I would just like to thank George's wife for suggesting this tribute so that fans all over the world can pay their respects."

In Liverpool, Harrison's home city, a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered outside St George's Hall in Lime Street. Liverpool Lord Mayor Gerry Scott led a rendering of Harrison's hit My Sweet Lord, followed by clapping and cheering.

Children from Dovedale Junior School, Harrison's old school, planted a tree in the city's peace garden. City officials are also considering constructing a memorial to the star.

The Harrison family said in a statement: "We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and compassion from people around the world. The profound beauty of the moment of George's passing - of his awakening from this dream - was no surprise to those of us who knew how he longed to be with God. In that pursuit, he was relentless."

Harrison, 58, died in Los Angeles last Thursday after a long battle against cancer. His fortune, estimated at £214 million, will be shared out between his closest family and the Hare Krishna faith he embraced more than 30 years ago.

Reports from New York say that his will stipulated that the bulk of his estate be inherited by his wife, Olivia, and their 24-year-old son, Dhani. The pair are today expected to arrive at Varanisi, a holy city in northern India, to scatter some of his ashes in the Ganges.

Arijit Das, a spokesman for the Hare Krishnas, said an urn would be kept at the Krishna temple for the public to offer their last respects before the ashes were immersed in the river.

They are also said to be visiting Allahabad, where the Ganges and the Yamuna river meet, a favourite retreat of Harrison's. It has also emerged that days before his death, Harrison made his peace with his sister, Louise Harrison, 70, who he had accused of cashing in on his fame by opening the Hard Day's Night hotel in Illinois in 1995.

They were reconciled at a New York hospital two weeks ago. Louise Harrison said she and her younger brother held hands and talked of the past at their last meeting.

Speaking on NBC television she said: "It was great, you know. We sort of held hands like we used to do a lot when we were talking seriously about things."

Harrison, who emigrated to the US with her husband in 1963 said: "What I'd like to say to the Beatles fans out there, I know there are millions more than will be watching the show, but not to grieve, and don't feel that it's a loss, because so long as you have somebody in your heart, you can never lose them.

"And also, in George's case, we can always listen to his music, and we can always hear the beautiful sounds that he made with that guitar."

Asked if her brother was at peace with what was happening to him she said: "Absolutely. Well, back many years ago when he turned my feet on to the spiritual path, he said: 'We shouldn't think of God as a grumpy old man up in the sky that's thinking of us as sinners."

George Harrison 1943-2001