Editing Brian Epstein (section)

==Death==
Epstein attended a traditional [[Shiva (Judaism)|shiva]] (week of mourning) in Liverpool after his father died, having just come out of the Priory Clinic where he had been trying to cure his acute [[insomnia]] and addiction to [[amphetamine]]s.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=404–405}} A few days before his death he made his last visit to a Beatles recording session ''[[Magical Mystery Tour]]'' on 23 August 1967, at the Chappell Recording Studios on [[Maddox Street]] in [[Mayfair]], London.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=355}}

[[File:The Daily Mirror, Brian Epstein death.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|The ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' Headline: "EPSTEIN (The Beatle-Making Prince of Pop) DIES AT 32"]]
On 24 August, Epstein asked personal assistant Peter Brown<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Brown |url=https://www.beatlesbible.com/people/peter-brown/ |website=The Beatles Bible |access-date=28 June 2024 |date=26 November 2012}}</ref> and business partner Geoffrey Ellis<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=Geoffrey |title=I Should Have Known Better: A Life in Pop Management--The Beatles, Brian Epstein and Elton John |isbn=1854182196 }}</ref> down to Kingsley Hill for the [[bank holiday]] weekend. Approximately 50 miles (80&nbsp;km) from his home in Chapel Street, Kingsley Hill was Epstein's country home in [[Warbleton]], [[East Sussex]]. After they arrived, Epstein decided to drive back to London alone because an expected group of friends he had invited failed to arrive, although they did turn up after Epstein left.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=405}} Epstein phoned Brown at 5&nbsp;p.m. the next day from his Chapel Street house in London. Brown thought that Epstein sounded "very groggy" and suggested he take a train back down to the nearest railway station, in [[Uckfield]], instead of driving under the influence of [[Tuinal]]. Epstein replied that he would eat something, read his mail, and watch ''[[Juke Box Jury]]'' before phoning Brown to tell him which train to meet. He never called again.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=405}}

Epstein died of an overdose of Carbrital, a [[hypnotic]] preparation combining the barbiturate [[pentobarbital]] with [[carbromal]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=Physicians' Desk Reference.|date=1979|publisher=Medical Economics Co|isbn=0-87489-999-0|edition=33|location=Oradell, N.J.|page=1266|oclc=4636066}}</ref>{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=405}} in his locked bedroom on 27 August 1967. He was discovered after his butler who, having been unable to rouse Epstein via his locked bedroom door, called Epstein's [[physician assistant|PA]], Joanne Petersen. She arrived, failed to rouse him, and called his doctor who, with the butler, broke down the door and found Epstein in his bed, appearing to be asleep, an open book near his hand and some [[digestive biscuit]]s on the bedside cabinet. When they realised that he was dead, staff swept the house for contraband and then called the police.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/joanne-petersen-the-beatles-brian-epstein/13627622/|title = The Beatles, Brian Epstein and me|website = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date = 12 November 2021}}</ref><ref name="BrianEpsteinDies">{{Cite news |title=Brian Epstein Dies at His Home|work=[[The Glasgow Herald]] |page=1|date=28 August 1967}}</ref> Epstein was found on a single bed, dressed in pyjamas, with various correspondence spread over a second single bed.<ref name="incautiousoverdose" /> At the statutory inquest his death was officially ruled an accident, caused by a gradual buildup of Carbrital combined with [[Alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] in his system.<ref name="incautiousoverdose">{{Cite news |title=Brian Epstein died from 'incautious overdose' of drug, says Coroner |work=[[The Glasgow Herald]] |page=1|date=9 September 1967}}</ref> It was revealed that he had taken six Carbrital pills to sleep, which was probably normal for him, but in combination with alcohol, his tolerance was reduced.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=405}}

The Beatles were on a [[The Beatles in Bangor|retreat in Bangor]] in North Wales at the time, with the Indian guru [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. Epstein had previously agreed to travel to Bangor after the August Bank Holiday.<ref name="OnThisDayEpstein">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/27/newsid_3767000/3767499.stm |title=On This Day: 1967: Beatles' manager Epstein dies |work=BBC News |access-date=27 May 2011 | date=27 August 1967}}</ref>{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=404}} The second of two shows by [[Jimi Hendrix]] at Epstein's Saville Theatre was cancelled on the evening of Epstein's death.<ref name="OnThisDayEpstein" />

Peter Brown wrote in his memoir, ''The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles'', that he had once found a suicide note written by Epstein and had spoken with him about it. According to Brown the note read in part, "This is all too much and I can't take it any more." Brown had also found a will in which Epstein left his house and money to his mother and his brother, with Brown also being named as a minor beneficiary. When confronted with the notes, Epstein told Brown that he would be grateful if Brown did not tell anyone, and that he was sorry he had made Brown worry. He explained that when he wrote the note and composed the will he had simply taken one pill too many, and that he had no intention of overdosing, promising to be more careful in the future. Brown later wrote that he wondered if he had done the right thing by not showing the note to Epstein's doctor, Norman Cowan, who would have stopped prescribing drugs.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|2002|pp=199–200}} The coroner, Gavin Thurston, told the Westminster inquest that Epstein's death was caused by an overdose of Carbrital and ruled it as an accidental death. The pathologist, [[Donald Teare]], stated that Epstein had been taking [[bromide]] in the form of Carbrital for some time, and that the barbiturate level in Epstein's blood was a "low fatal level".<ref name="TheTimesArchiveSep91967">{{cite news |work=The Times |title=Epstein Death Accidental |date=9 September 1967}}</ref>

The Beatles did not attend Epstein's funeral, both to allow his family some privacy and to avoid attracting fans and the media.<ref name="NowhereMan4" /> According to Geoffrey Ellis, chief executive of NEMS Enterprises, the day before the funeral George Harrison had given Nat Weiss, Epstein's good friend and confidant, a single flower (Ellis remembers it as a [[chrysanthemum]]) wrapped in a newspaper on behalf of all four Beatles, with instructions to place the flower on Brian's coffin as a final farewell. However, flowers are forbidden at Jewish funerals and burials. Weiss and Ellis discussed this dilemma while walking back to the grave, where they observed two men beginning to shovel dirt onto the casket. Ellis later wrote: "Nat, who himself was Jewish, cast the newspaper package unopened onto Brian's coffin, where it was swiftly covered by earth."<ref>Ellis, Geoffrey, I Should Have Known Better; A Life in Pop Management, p. 133</ref> Epstein was buried in section A grave H12, in the Long Lane Jewish Cemetery, [[Aintree]], Liverpool.{{sfn|Harry|2000|p=391}}<ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 14267-14268). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.</ref> The service at the graveside was held by Rabbi [[Norman Solomon (rabbi)|Norman Solomon]], who said, disparagingly, that Epstein was "a symbol of the malaise of our generation".{{sfn|Coleman|1989|p=374}} A few weeks later, on 17 October, all four Beatles attended a memorial service for Epstein at the [[New London Synagogue]] in St John's Wood (near Abbey Road Studios), which was officiated by Rabbi [[Louis Jacobs]].<ref name="NowhereMan4" /> The [[Bee Gees]]' 1968 song "In the Summer of His Years" was written and recorded as a tribute to Epstein.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aln2.albumlinernotes.com/Idea__1968_.html |title=Bee Gees – Idea Liner Notes |work=aln2.albumlinernotes |publisher=Aln2.albumlinernotes.com |access-date=1 November 2013 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029203134/http://aln2.albumlinernotes.com/Idea__1968_.html }}</ref>