HE was the youngest one; he was the quietest one. In the Fab Four, George Harrison always took second billing to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team. Yet his influence on The Beatles, and therefore on music itself, was profound.

Harrison was a tremendously accomplished musician, who allied a unique guitar style with deceptively simple lyrics to write some of the most enduring songs in popular music. This talent, confined as much as encouraged in The Beatles, was allowed to blossom openly during his solo career.

Unlike many pop stars, he was a deeply reflective man whose search for something more than the material took him on a long spiritual journey.

Equally, George Harrison was never comfortable with superstardom. He was not one to bask in fans' adulation. Those who did meet him described him as a kind, funny and intelligent man, a sense of which always came across in his rare television interviews.

Millions around the world will mourn his death at only 58. But his music will live on.

Updated: 11:47 Friday, November 30, 2001