Harrison left Hare Krishna society out of will

The waiting game within the Hare Krishna society has ended after the revelation that former Beatle George Harrison had not left it a penny.

IANS/November 30, 2002

London -- It was widely reported after his death that he would leave $30 million to the Hare Krishna trust. But the will, publicised on Friday, showed that he left the entire estate of $150 million to his wife Olivia and then their son Dhani, 25.

Several members of the Hare Krishna group had said that George Harrison would bequeath something to the sect. But nobody was certain what his will stated.

George Harrison had joined the Hare Krishna group in the 1960s. His most famous single was My Sweet Lord that arose from his faith in Krishna.

Harrison had donated his ranch in Lethmore Heath village just north of London to the Hare Krishna group. That had led many followers of the sect to believe that there would be a substantial legacy to the group from his will.

It had also been rumoured that his ashes would be scattered in the Ganges. A long vigil by photographers in Varanasi drew a blank.

His widow Olivia made no mention of Hare Krishna in a statement on Friday. "He gave his life to God a long time ago," she said, adding "he wasn't trying to hang on to anything. He was fine with it."

"George dedicated a lot of his life to obtain a good ending and I don't have any doubt that he was successful," she further said.

Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar joined the surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at a concert on Friday night to honour George Harrison.

The proceeds from the event, attended by more than 5,000 people, will go to the Material World Charitable Foundation that Harrison supported, to promote the arts, music, education and people with special needs.