George Harrison’s sarcastic reaction to being stabbed 40 times revealed in new biography

nme.com:

George Harrison’s witty response to being stabbed 40 times has been revealed in a new biography.Released today (October 24), the new book is written by Philip Norman and explores the life of the Beatles member in a new light.Titled George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle, the biography also discusses the 1999 incident, which left the musician fighting for his life after being stabbed 40 times.The moment took place when Harrison and his wife Olivia became victims of a home invasion, and upon hearing someone break into his home, the guitarist got out of bed to investigate.From there, he was soon confronted by a man named Michael Abram who was holding a knife.

An altercation followed as Harrison attempted to wrestle the knife out of Abram’s hands, however, the intruder managed to get on top of the Beatle and stabbed him 40 times.

He only stopped upon being struck over the head with a lamp by Olivia.In the book, the incident is described in detail and it is also revealed how Harrison described the attack to his son Dhani with a darkly witty sense of humour (via Far Out).According to the musician’s son, Harrison described Abram by saying: “He wasn’t a burglar and he certainly wasn’t auditioning for the Traveling Wilburys.”Harrison had already been diagnosed with cancer at the time, and of the 40 stab wounds, one punctured his lung.

It was presumed by doctors that the attack worsened his condition. He died of cancer in 2001 – two years after the incident.Following the attack, Abrams was sent to a psychiatric unit and did not face any prison time on the grounds of insanity.