Brian Epstein: Statue of Beatles' Manager Unveiled in Liverpool

Hundreds of people gathered in Liverpool city centre for the unveiling of a new Brian Epstein statue.The sculpture is located in front of the original site of his family's NEMS record shop in Whitechapel.

Born in Liverpool in 1934, Epstein also played a key role in the city’s wider music scene which included acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, The Moody Blues and The Chants .As a gay man living at time when homosexuality was illegal, Epstein faced many personal challenges. This is the first statue of an LGBTQ+ figure in Liverpool city centre. The statue campaign has been led for the last 5 years by the Brian Epstein Legacy Project. It was made possible after a public Crowdfunding campaign, including funding from The Cavern Club.

Tom Calderbank, Project Manager of The Brian Epstein Legacy Project, said: “On behalf of the committee which has worked so hard to achieve this goal, we would like to thank every single person and organisation who has supported us on our five year journey. We are absolutely delighted to see this finally come to fruition. We feel Brian really deserves this honour. His impact on the world of music, art and culture was and continues to be overwhelmingly positive, and we believe our debt to him as a city is incalculable. We hope this lasting tribute to his legacy is worthy of the man and his achievements, and that people take this wonderful addition to our public realm to their hearts. It's easy to celebrate the people in the limelight. It's much harder to celebrate those who are behind the scenes. We wouldn't really be here and have the industry we've got without him."

The statue's unveiling marked the 55th anniversary of Epstein's death on 27 August 1967.Epstein became the Beatles' boss after seeing them play at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1961. Jane Robbins said that her cousin Paul McCartney had told her its depiction of Epstein was "dead good, like". McCartney memorably described Epstein as "the fifth Beatle"

Brian Epstein died at the age of 32 due to an accidental overdose from a sedative. A film about his life, entitled Midas Man, and starring Eddie Marsan and Emily Watson, is due to be released soon after filming was carried out in Liverpool last year.