Beatles producer Sir George Martin dies aged 90
His family says he 'is recognised globally as one of music's most creative talents'
Sir George, who produced more than 700 records, passed away on Tuesday at his home
Sir Paul McCartney leads tributes, saying Sir George was 'like a second father' to him
Image source, Rex FeaturesThe Beatles' first recording session at Abbey Road was hardly an unqualified success. Faulty amps and a lack of studio experience left the band floundering, while Sir George was unimpressed with their repertoire.
Our music reporter Mark Savage has taken a look at that fateful day - and why Sir George was persuaded to sign the band after all.
Image source, getQueen guitarist Brian May has written how "very sad" he was to hear of Sir George Martin's death.
"But also... What a glorious innings!" he goes on. "Always, always positive, and deeply thoughtful and creative, the man was a gentle giant of popular music."
May said his "first knowledge" of Sir George had come when he was producing The Temperance Seven, a seven-piece jazz band whose hits included You're Driving Me Crazy and Pasadena.
"I adored that work and still do," said the musicial, describing the producer as "a great influence".
Some of you have been in touch with your own tributes to Sir George Martin.
Image source, Andy TrottQuote MessageIt is with great sadness that I learned about the loss of Sir George Martin today. He was a truly fantastic man I feel honoured to have met. Thanks to George, The Beatles brought untold happiness to billions of people across the globe.
Andy Trott, pictured above with Sir George Martin in 2006
Quote MessageMy wife and I were lucky enough to meet Sir George and Lady Martin at the Old Vicarage - his home in Coleshill - when his garden was open for The National Gardens Scheme. As a Beatles fan, I was not really expecting to meet the great man but he walked down, opened the gate and let us all in. He was thoroughly charming and mingled all day as Lady Martin led people through the kitchen for cakes and tea.
Stuart Johnson
Quote MessageWhat a wonderful musician and producer. My favourite all-time album: Sgt Pepper; my favourite ever single piece of music: a recording produced by George Martin, Strawberry Fields Forever.
Kevin Beer
Quote MessageSo sad to hear the passing of a creative genius. Sir George's influences can be heard and enjoyed all through the Beatles' canon of innovative, imaginative and truly groundbreaking music. He truly was the fifth Beatle!
'Poltiss58'
Quote MessageI too am saddened to hear of the death of George Martin. I first met him when we were both students at the Guildhall School of Music. He was studying oboe and I was studying piano and used to accompany him. We became great friends and he came to my engagement party and did acrobatic tricks with a broomstick!
Pat Styles (nee Wetherill)
Quote MessageWhat an incredible force this man was in the music business. Although just a fan, it's difficult for me to listen to any Beatles song without thinking of the genius of Sir George, sitting at that sound board, mixing that wonderful music. He will be greatly missed but his legacy will live on forever.
Barbara Lovejoy
We'd love to hear more of your tributes, which you can email to us at entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
Image source, PAFormer PM Gordon Brown, who presented Sir George Martin with the award to mark his induction into the UK Hall of Fame in 1996, has called the late producer as "a musical genius".
Quote MessageIt was a privilege to know someone so incredibly modest, wonderfully courteous, yet universally respected. He helped lift British music into the stratosphere.
Quote MessageGeorge was often described as the fifth Beatle but he was the number one producer for a whole generation of music fans. My thoughts are with his widow Judy and his whole family.
Writer and journalist Ray Connolly first interviewed Sir George Martin at a Beatles session in the 1960s.
"I was scared because he was like the headteacher," he told BBC News. "But then I discovered he was a really nice man."
Image source, PALiam Gallagher, pictured above with Sir George Martin in 1996, had this to say about the legendary producer.
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Boy George, Beverley Knight and Canadian rock band Nickelback have also paid tribute on Twitter.
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From 11:00 GMT, there will be a full tribute to Sir George Martin on Ken Bruce's Radio 2 show.
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There'll be another chance to hear Sir George Martin's Radio 2 Record Producers special tonight.
In the programme, to be broadcast at 22:00 GMT, Sir George discusses his work as a producer, arranger and technical innovator.
The BBC station has put a lot more audio, video and archive footage of Sir George Martin on its website.
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Image source, PASir Paul McCartney has posted a heartfelt tribute to Sir George Martin on his website that begins as follows:
Quote MessageI'm so sad to hear the news of the passing of dear George Martin. I have so many wonderful memories of this great man that will be with me forever.
Quote MessageHe was a true gentleman and like a second father to me. He guided the career of The Beatles with such skill and good humour that he became a true friend to me and my family.
Quote MessageIf anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle, it was George. From the day that he gave The Beatles our first recording contract, to the last time I saw him, he was the most generous, intelligent and musical person I've ever had the pleasure to know.
Victoria Derbyshire
Historian Mark Lewisohn, who met Sir George Martin on several occasions, has told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire why the producer and The Beatles worked so well together.
He described The Beatles as "great rebels", adding of Sir George: "He too was a maverick and wanted to break the rules - and that's what they did together.
"They wanted to try something different each time and that suited his manner perfectly."
When they first met, Lewisohn went on, Sir George admired their "personality and charisma".
Quote MessageHe appeared to be like a schoolmaster if you like - they called him the headteacher. But on the other hand, he was someone they could actually have a joke with - he would make self-deprecating remarks about himself.
Quote MessageThey really took to him straight away. It became a beautiful relationship from about five months after they first met. They really clicked at the end of 1962. And The Beatles' breakthrough was so extraordinarily rapid that George Martin became the hottest producer in the world.
The current custodians of the Abbey Road recording studios have paid their own tribute to Sir George Martin, a producer with whom the London institution will forever be associated.
Quote MessageAbbey Road Studios wish to express their deepest condolences to the Martin family on hearing the sad news that Sir George passed away yesterday, aged 90.
Quote MessageSir George transformed music recording with his creative flair, innovation and passion, and we want to express our deep sadness at losing such an immensely talented, charming and warm man.
Quote MessageWe are committed to ensuring Sir George's visionary legacy lives forever at Abbey Road Studios, and we are hugely honoured to be part of his story.
Ever wondered how The Beatles' distinctive sound came together?
Here's Sir George Martin explaining to Howard Goodall on BBC's Arena programme how he first recorded John Lennon's voice backwards for their track Rain.
"From that moment, he wanted everything backwards," he said. "They all did."
Watch the full interview.
Dhani Harrison has posted a photograph of his late father with Sir George Martin on Instagram, external.
Harrison, the son of late Beatle George Harrison, remembered the producer as a "dear sweet man".
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Here are a selection of images from Sir George Martin's life.
Image source, ReutersThis picture shows George Martin in the early 1960s, the decade in which he started working with The Beatles.
Image source, PAYears later, in 1995, he reunited with Ringo Starr, Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison to record John Lennon's song Free as a Bird.
Image source, PASir George was knighted at Buckingham Palace in November 1996 for his services to the music industry and popular culture.
Image source, PAGeorge Martin was married twice. Here he is with his second wife, Judith, in 2002.
Image source, PAHere is a photo of Sir George from 1996, taken at his home in the West Country where he died on Tuesday evening.
Dame Shirley Bassey is the latest of Sir George Martin's many friends and collaborators to have paid tribute to the late producer.
Quote MessageI'm extremely saddened to hear of George Martin's passing. His contribution to music was outstanding and I'm privileged to have worked alongside George in the studio. My thoughts are with his family at this time.
Sir George Martin's family has issued a statement confirming the details of his death, saying he was a "true gentleman to the end".
Quote MessageWe can confirm that Sir George Martin passed away peacefully at home yesterday evening, Tuesday 8 March. The family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and messages of support.
Quote MessageSir George started work at Abbey Road Studios in 1950 producing records for EMI's Parlophone label. He soon became famous for his innovative comedy recordings with the likes of Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Beyond the Fringe and got his first number one with The Temperance Seven in 1961.
Quote MessageHe signed The Beatles in 1962 in a collaboration that revolutionised the art of popular music recording. In a career that spanned seven decades, he was an inspiration to many and is recognised globally as one of music's most creative talents.
Quote MessageHe was a true gentleman to the end. The family ask that their privacy be respected at this time.
George Martin's son Giles, who has himself produced and remixed several Beatles records, has just tweeted a tribute to his father.
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Will Gompertz, the BBC's arts editor, has written a blog post about his memories of meeting Sir George Martin in 2012.
Quote MessageI went to his house fairly recently and was disarmed by his charm: his unaffected blend of humility and humour, informed by a fierce intelligence. He was open, honest, funny and wise.
Quote MessageHe loved The Beatles. Not just because they were 'his' co-creation, but because of who they were as individuals. It was their personalities that first attracted him to them, and it was their friendship that he treasured most.
Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of The Recording Academy, has paid his own tribute to Sir George Martin, a six-time Grammy winner.
Sir George, he wrote, was "one of the most innovative producers of all time" whose "impact on music is unparalleled".
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According to Gary Kemp, Sir George Martin paved the way for future generations of musicians.
He was to music, said the Spandau Ballet star turned actor, what Sir Edmund Hillary - the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest - was to mountaineering.
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