Los Angeles Times
United States
July 22, 2004 "Breakfast with the Beatles" host Chris Carter writes about the discovery of a tattered suitcase bought at a flea market in Melbourne, Australia, which contained Beatles-related items including photographs and recordings.
Carter adds some details to the story which was widely reported in the media. Many of the reports suggested that the suitcase once belonged to Mal Evans and that the recordings included long-lost rarities.
In the article, Nilsson is mentioned in connection with the tragic death of Mal Evans:
Evans met an untimely end on Jan. 6, 1976, when he was shot to death by Los Angeles police after brandishing an air rifle during a scuffle with his girlfriend at his rented duplex. At the time, he was working on a book about his years with the Beatles.
After Evans was killed, his close friend singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson went down to Forest Lawn mortuary to help make arrangements regarding the body. It was suggested to Nilsson that cremation was the least expensive option for Evans's family. Nilsson agreed and took the responsibility of sending Big Mal's ashes back to his wife and mother in London. Later that week, Nilsson received a frantic call from Apple executive Neil Aspinall when the ashes failed to arrive: "Harry, Harry! Where's Mal?" Nilsson informed Aspinall that he had indeed sent Evans's ashes through the U.S. mail. Sometime later, Evans's remains were found in a dead letter office and safely returned to his family.
|
