title: Avicii

text: "Lose Myself", a collaboration between Bergling and Chinese singer Wang Leehom, was released on 1 September 2014. On 8 September 2014, his 25th birthday, Bergling decided to cancel all of his remaining performances of 2014 due to health concerns. The following day, he announced through Denim & Supply that he would release his new single "The Days" later in 2014; a video was also featured with a preview of the track. "The Days" is a collaboration between Bergling and Robbie Williams, and was released on 3 October 2014 via PRMD. On 16 September 2014, it was announced through EA Sports that Bergling was debuting a new track called "The Nights" exclusively on "FIFA 15". On 17 November 2014, it was officially announced that the track is to be released as a part of an EP together with "The Days". On 17 November 2014, Wyclef Jean released a track titled "Divine Sorrow" featuring Avicii, which was part of Product Red's "Share the Sound of an AIDS-Free Generation" campaign.


title: Avicii

text: On 2 March 2015, Bergling performed live at Australia's Future Music Festival his upcoming single "Heaven", with another collaboration with Chris Martin on vocals. The vocals were later resung by singer Simon Aldred from Cherry Ghost, who sang the track at the Avicii Tribute Concert in 2019. However, the version with Martin on vocals was finalized in 2018/2019 after Bergling's death and was released on the posthumous third album "Tim," which credits Martin for co-writing "Heaven". On 27 March that year, during his live performance at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Bergling premiered new tracks from "Stories," and a month later he released three full sets on the internet, which included "Heaven", "Waiting for Love", and some of his IDs "For a Better Day", "City Lights", "Can't Catch Me", "True Believer", "What Would I Change It To", "Can't Love You Again" (previously leaked on the internet under the name "Don't Call") and "Attack".


title: Avicii

text: On 25 April 2015, Bergling announced on episode 35 of his "LE7ELS" podcast that he would be playing some of his unreleased songs on his show. He also previewed his bootleg of Kings of Tomorrow's song "Finally" and one of his old songs that he did with ASH, titled "Papa Was a Rolling Stone".


title: Avicii

text: On 6 May 2015, Bergling released his rework of Nina Simone's version of "Feeling Good", composed in 1964 by the English songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. On 8 May 2015, Bergling previewed his song "I'll Be Gone" via episode 422 of "Tiësto's Club Life" podcast, which has a very similar instrumental to "Liar Liar" (Avicii by Avicii) albeit different vocals and chord progressions. It was leaked into the internet between 2013 and 2014 via the name "Stars" and is yet to be released. It also shares a similar drop to one of Bergling's ID's "Black and Blue". On 22 May 2015, Bergling premiered another single from "Stories", "Waiting for Love". The track was co-produced by fellow DJ and producer Martin Garrix, and featured vocals from Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost. On 25 May 2015, Bergling previewed three old tracks on episode 36 of his "LE7ELS" podcast: "Tracks of My Tears", "Sorry Mr. Atari" and "Time to Get lll", all of which are songs that Bergling had made years ago. "Tracks of My Tears" is the original version of Bergling's "All You Need is Love". On 27 May 2015, it was confirmed by a Swedish newspaper through an interview with Bergling that his second album "Stories" would be released in late 2015.


title: Avicii

text: On 3 July 2015, Bergling previewed two tracks from his album "Stories" on episode 37 of his "LE7ELS" podcast: "Broken Arrows", featuring Zac Brown Band, and "Can't Catch Me", featuring Wyclef Jean and Matisyahu. He also played a full version of his track "Heaven" and said that he was doing another track with Chris Martin on vocals called "True Believer". Later, Bergling said that he is also singing on that track. On 18 July 2015, it was announced by Bergling that he had finally finished production on "Stories" after 2 years of work.


title: Avicii

text: A couple of weeks later, on 4 August 2015, it was announced that the final singles before the release of "Stories" would be "For a Better Day", featuring American singer Alex Ebert, and "Pure Grinding", featuring vocals from Kristoffer Fogelmark and Earl St. Clair. On 27 August, Bergling released a teaser video on Instagram with the song "Pure Grinding" playing. The tracks "For a Better Day" and "Pure Grinding" were released the following day through Spotify and iTunes. On 26 September, Bergling announced "Stories – Megamix" on Spotify. "Stories" was released on 2 October 2015 alongside 3 promotional singles: "Broken Arrows" with Zac Brown, "Ten More Days" with Zak Abel and "Gonna Love Ya" with Sandro Cavazza.


title: Avicii

text: On 15 January 2016, Bergling released his remix of Morten's "Beautiful Heartbeat". Coca-Cola had partnered with Bergling for a global campaign anthem, "Taste the Feeling", featuring Conrad Sewell. The song was released on 19 January. On 25 January, Bergling once again teamed up with Coldplay to co-produce the band's single "Hymn for the Weekend", which was released as the second single from their album "A Head Full of Dreams". In 2016, according to a report by "Inc." magazine, Avicii Music AB was the 6th fastest-growing company in Europe, with a revenue of €7.7 million in 2014.


title: Avicii

text: On 19 March 2016 at Ultra Music Festival, Bergling debuted new demos featuring Sandro Cavazza such as "We Burn (Faster Than Light), "Lord", "Our Love", & "Unbreakable", as well as a collaboration with Australian pop star Sia called "All I Need"; they remain unreleased to this day. On 29 March, Bergling announced via his Facebook page that he would be retiring from performing later that year, citing health concerns. On 7 April 2016, Bergling announced that he was working on a third studio album. On 3 June 2016, Bergling released a collaboration with Otto Knows titled "Back Where I Belong".


title: Avicii

text: On 15 July 2016, Bergling released a remix of his own song, "Feeling Good". The remix was titled "Feeling Good (Avicii by Avicii)". This track was only released on Bergling's official YouTube channel. On 1 August, the track was pulled from YouTube with the video being made private. On 28 August 2016, Bergling performed his final show at Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel.


title: Avicii

text: On 22 December 2016, a representative of Avicii Music AB announced that Bergling had parted ways with long-time manager Ash Pournouri and At Night Management along with Pournouri's record label PRMD. The representative also announced that Bergling had signed on to Universal Music Sweden and was expected to release his third studio album in 2017.


title: Avicii

text: In June 2017, British singer Rita Ora debuted a semi-acoustic version of "Lonely Together" at a private event at Annabel's in London. "Lonely Together" was later released as the second single from "Avīci (01)." From 13 July to 2 August, Bergling shared one-minute snippets on Instagram, captioned "New music coming very very (very) soon!", with track titles as hashtags. Bergling uploaded teasers of each track from the EP online upon release.


title: Avicii

text: On 10 August 2017, Bergling released the six-track EP "Avīci (01)". Bergling said of the release: "I'm really excited to be back with music once again. It has been a long time since I released anything and a long time since I was this excited over new music! My focus on this first EP of the album was to get a mix of new and old songs: some that fans have been asking about and waiting for mixed with brand new songs that they haven't heard before!"


title: Avicii

text: In an interview with Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1, Bergling stated that the EP is one of three parts of his third studio album. On 11 September 2017, Bergling announced a documentary directed by his close and long time collaborator Levan Tsikurishvili, titled "". The documentary chronicles the artist's retirement from touring and features interviews from his colleagues David Guetta, Tiësto, Wyclef Jean, Nile Rodgers and Chris Martin of Coldplay.


title: Avicii

text: On 10 February 2018, Bergling released "Ghost", a collaboration with Swedish singer-songwriter Daniel Adams-Ray, who was credited as HUMAN. The song, which was leaked on the internet in 2014/2015 under the title "(I'm Still) In Love With Your Ghost", marks the second collaboration with the two Swedes following "Somewhere In Stockholm" from Bergling's album "Stories".


title: Avicii

text: In March 2018, Bergling posted previews of him working with collaborators such as Bonn, Carl Falk, Joe Janiak, Abin Nedler, and more. The songs previewed during these clips ended up being the tracks that were finished and released as part of the posthumous "Tim" album.


title: Avicii

text: Following Bergling's death that April, news outlets reported that at the time of his death, he had over 200 unreleased songs, some finished and others still in development; it was suggested that his unreleased material comprised some of his best work. In August 2018, producer Carl Falk, who co-produced some of the songs on "Stories" in 2015 and "Avīci (01)" in 2017, stated that he was putting the finishing touches on the Chris Martin collaboration "Heaven" (originally written during the "Stories" sessions) and that it might be posthumously released in a few months along with the third album.


title: Avicii

text: In April 2019, it was announced that the album "Tim", which Bergling was working on before his death, would be released on 6 June 2019, with the first single, "SOS", released on 10 April. All proceeds from the sale of the album went towards the Tim Bergling Foundation. Later that month, it was announced that an official biography of Bergling, written by Måns Mosesson, would be released in 2020, with the proceeds also going to the Tim Bergling Foundation.


title: Avicii

text: A second single from the album, titled "Tough Love", was released on 9 May 2019. The music video for "Tough Love" was released on 14 May 2019 on YouTube.


title: Avicii

text: "Heaven" was the last single to be released from the album, on 6 June 2019. The track was co-written by Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin. Martin spoke about the collaboration on his social media, stating that he co-wrote the song with Bergling back in 2014, but it was completed by Bergling in 2016. The music video used old clips of Bergling on vacation in Madagascar after his retirement from touring in 2016 and was released on 24 June 2019. On 28 June, "Billboard" cited "Heaven" as one of the best dance songs of the first half of 2019. "Fades Away" featuring MishCatt was also released in December after being performed in Stockholm at the Avicii Tribute Concert for Mental Health.


title: Avicii

text: On 24 January 2020, another posthumous single by Avicii was released: "Forever Yours", which is a collaboration with Kygo and Sandro Cavazza. The song was previously performed by Bergling during his final tour in 2016, starting with Ultra Music Festival. Kygo and Sandro Cavazza performed the song together live at the Avicii Tribute Concert, held in Stockholm's Friends Arena in December 2019. On 15 February, Tiësto premiered three unreleased Avicii singles on the latest episode of his radio show "Tiësto's Club Life": a fifth collaboration with Aloe Blacc called "I Wanna Be Free", a fifth collaboration with Sandro Cavazza called "We Burn" and a fifth collaboration with Wyclef Jean called "Now That We Found Love".


title: Avicii

text: On 6 April 2021, it was announced that the biography would be titled "Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii" and was set for release in the UK and North America on 16 November of the same year. Kitty Empire of "The Guardian" described it as "An honest study of the shy young man turned superstar DJ".


title: Avicii

text: On 23 September 2021, it was announced that a second documentary about Bergling would be released in 2023.


title: Avicii

text: On 12 October 2021, it was announced that a second tribute concert would be held at the Avicii Arena, on 1 December 2021.


title: Avicii

text: Bergling's influences included Basshunter, Daft Punk, Swedish House Mafia, and Eric Prydz. He described his introduction to electronic music as "listening to a lot of Daft Punk, way before I knew what house music was".


title: Avicii

text: Bergling's early work was deep house and progressive house, usually based on a four-chord structure, sub-bass and a simple synth melody. His debut studio album "True" featured a blending of music genres, including folktronica. While making the album, Bergling wanted to fuse the electronic music genre with soul, funk, blues, folk and country, as he felt that EDM had become too focused on "dirty drops". Its first single, "Wake Me Up", is a folk music crossover, which, as noted by Katie Bain of "The Observer", "tapped into the market potential of mixing EDM and country, a template many artists have since recreated". A "Variety" editor commented that Bergling's "distinct sound" was made up of "soaring synths and keening melodies". Musicians such as Kygo, Skrillex, Diplo, Gryffin, Martin Garrix and Cheat Codes have cited him as a source of inspiration.


title: Avicii

text: After achieving widespread commercial success, Bergling began working with his manager and executive producer Ash Pournouri to start House for Hunger in 2011, a charity dedicated to alleviating global hunger. The pair wanted to showcase the giving spirit fostered by the house music community. Bergling explained, "You have to give something back. I am so fortunate to be in the position where I can actually do that. I feel lucky every day when I wake up and am able to do what I love and make a living." In addition to donating $1 million to Feeding America, a charity founded by John van Hengel, House for Hunger has helped fund the efforts of The Feed Foundation, started by Laura Bush, allowing it to distribute over 2 million school meals throughout Africa. He also supported campaigns against human trafficking and gang violence when he directed the videos for his tracks "For a Better Day" and "Pure Grinding".


title: Avicii

text: Bergling enjoyed playing "World of Warcraft" in his youth. He developed anxiety at a young age, with his parents taking him to a therapist at the age of 14.


title: Avicii

text: From 2011 to 2013, Bergling dated Emily Goldberg, an American student. He then dated Racquel Bettencourt, a Canadian student and model; they lived together in California before splitting up in late 2014. At the time of his death, he was dating Tereza Kacerova, a model; they had decided to keep their relationship private.


title: Avicii

text: In January 2012, Bergling was hospitalised for 11 days in New York City with acute pancreatitis caused by excessive alcohol use. In 2014, Bergling underwent surgery and had both his appendix and gallbladder removed. In 2016, Bergling's health deteriorated, and he retired from performing live. Between 2012 and 2014, Bergling was prescribed opioids for the pain caused by his pancreatitis, including OxyContin and Vicodin, to which he developed an addiction. In the 2017 documentary "", directed by his close and longtime collaborator Levan Tsikurishvili, Bergling spoke about his physical and mental health struggles. The documentary depicts the pressure from his management to continue performing live in spite of his objections.


title: Avicii

text: Following his retirement, Bergling took up transcendental meditation, which he credited with reducing his anxiety, and started seeing a therapist.


title: Avicii

text: High pressure from management and fans to continue touring and maintaining his public persona were cited as key reasons for his suicide, according to "GQ". In a statement from the article, "Bergling feared upsetting fans. He was sensitive to the 'flood of hate mail' after cancelled gigs."


title: Avicii

text: His manager, Arash Pournouri, admitted that he knew of Bergling's anxieties but refused to label them a problem of mental health. Furthermore, his management team only became aware of his painkiller addiction in November 2014. They staged two interventions for him, neither of which were successful. Pournouri rescheduled many shows in order for Bergling to recover in Stockholm. Having discovered his client's alcohol issues earlier, Pournouri set out to forbid his promoters from offering him alcohol, clearing out his minibar and focusing on his recovery. Problems worsened, however, when there were no crew to "keep tabs" on Bergling during his recuperation. Pournouri met with Bergling's father Klas in 2014 to share concerns about Bergling's health.


title: Avicii

text: Against his client's wishes, Pournouri claimed to have cancelled two more world tours, which would have added up to approximately US$2.9 million in profits.


title: Avicii

text: Bergling died on 20 April 2018 in Muscat, where he was on holiday, at the age of 28. No cause of death was immediately given. On 21 April, the Omani police stated that there was "no criminal suspicion" or evidence of foul play in Bergling's death. A day before Bergling's death, a friend expressed concern about his mental state to his father Klas. TMZ later reported that he committed suicide using a glass shard to cut himself. On 26 April, his family released an open letter stating:


title: Avicii

text: On 22 May, Bergling's family announced plans for a private funeral with "the people who were closest to him". A funeral service was held on 8 June at the Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm. He was buried at Hedvig Eleonora Church in June 2018.


title: Avicii

text: On 22 April 2018, American band OneRepublic paid tribute to Bergling by performing his hit single "Wake Me Up" during their show in Mumbai.


title: Avicii

text: On 20 May 2018, American DJ duo The Chainsmokers and American singer-songwriter Halsey paid tribute to Bergling at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards before presenting the winner of the Top Hot 100 Song. The Chainsmokers' Drew Taggart said, "His passing was a great loss for the music world and for us. He was an artist who inspired so many in so many ways, and simply put, he meant so much to us and everyone in the EDM community." Halsey then delivered an emotional discussion about mental health and emphasized the need for people to love and support each other.


title: Avicii

text: On 21 May 2018, Tiësto played a medley of Bergling's songs at EDC Las Vegas. Aloe Blacc joined him on stage to perform "Wake Me Up".


title: Avicii

text: On 27 May, at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, Rita Ora, Bergling's most recent collaborator, paid tribute to the late DJ, describing him as "a really good friend" who "changed [her] life". A similar tribute was also paid by Ora during King's Day and Capital's Summertime Ball.


title: Avicii

text: The 2018 edition of Tomorrowland saw several tributes to Bergling from Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Don Diablo, Nicky Romero, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Zedd and Kygo, the latter mentioning that Bergling was his biggest influence in EDM. All DJs honoured his memory by playing his music in their sets during the festival which Michael Thivaios (Like Mike) described as Bergling's home. Thivaios continued calling Bergling "one of [his] best friends" and "a great inspiration". Avicii's songs "Levels" and "Wake Me Up" came second and eighth respectively in Tomorrowland 2018's most played songs.


title: Avicii

text: On 27 July, Russian DJ and producer Arty released a song called "Tim" as a tribute to Bergling. "I made a track for my friend", he stated. "I just want to honor his memory. I want to do something right, and in my opinion it's the right thing to do."


title: Avicii

text: During the 2018 version of Creamfields, Kaleidoscope Orchestra performed a special tribute performance, where they played out Bergling's greatest dance hits.


title: Avicii

text: On 12 October, Vicetone released a song called "South Beach", which they stated was influenced by Bergling's music and was one of the first songs they created, and that they decided to finish and release it as a tribute.


title: Avicii

text: In addition to the live tributes, many other artists—including Eric Prydz, Imagine Dragons, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Hardwell, Deadmau5, Marshmello, Zedd, and Robbie Williams—also paid tribute to Bergling on Twitter.


title: Avicii

text: One year after his death, tributes on social media continued to be paid by Nicky Romero, DJ Snake, Nile Rodgers, and the organisers of Tomorrowland, amongst others. In 2021 Basshunter recorded song "Life Speaks to Me" as tribute to Avicii.


title: Avicii

text: On 21 April 2018, a collection of Avicii's songs were played on the carillon within Dom Tower of Utrecht, performed by Malgosia Fiebig.


title: Avicii

text: On 21 May 2018, during the first night of the finale of the fourteenth season of reality television singing competition show "The Voice", coach Alicia Keys performed Avicii's "Wake Me Up" as part of her coach duet with the last remaining artist on her team, Britton Buchanan. During the performance, Keys made a verbal tribute to Avicii.


title: Avicii

text: On 16 November 2018, Bergling's family organised a public memorial service at the Hedvig Eleonora Church in Stockholm. The service saw a huge turn-out, with hundreds of fans filling the church to mourn and pay their respects. The service featured an orchestral choir which played music linking to events in Bergling's life and ended with a version of his 2013 number one hit "Wake Me Up". One fan described it as a "very moving" service and "a great tribute to Bergling".


title: Avicii

text: On 30 April 2019, the Mounted Royal Guards and the Life Guards' Dragoon Music Corps of the Swedish Army paid tribute to Avicii during a ceremony at Stockholm Palace, where brass renditions of his songs "Without You", "Hey Brother", and "Wake Me Up" were played.


title: Avicii

text: The 2019 edition of the music festival Tomorrowland included a tribute in the decoration of the Main stage of the festival.


title: Avicii

text: In September 2019, it was announced that a tribute concert would be held in Stockholm on 5 December 2019 in memory of Avicii. The concert saw David Guetta, Kygo, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Nicky Romero, and Laidback Luke headlining, along with a number of vocalists that Tim had worked with playing alongside a 30-piece orchestra, fulfilling one of Avicii's dreams for his music in a live setting. All profits went to the Tim Bergling Foundation. Following the start of ticket sales, the concert sold out in 30 minutes.


title: Avicii

text: In October of the same year, Avicii was honoured with a waxwork statue at the Madame Tussauds museum in New York City.


title: Avicii

text: In the same month, it was announced that the video game "AVICII Invector" would be released. Gameplay includes single and multiplayer versions where players would use the game to recreate 25 of his hits throughout the years. A portion of the profits are set to be donated to the Tim Bergling Foundation. Rebecca May of "The Guardian" rated the game 4/5 stars, describing it as "an immersive musical tribute".


title: Avicii

text: On 19 May 2021, Stockholm's Ericsson Globe was renamed the Avicii Arena. To commemorate the new name, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra recorded a performance of the Avicii song "For a Better Day", with vocals provided by 14-year-old Swedish singer Ella Tiritiello.


title: Avicii

text: On 8 September 2021, Google Doodle celebrated what would have been Bergling's 32nd birthday with an animated video featuring "Wake Me Up", in support of National Suicide Prevention Week.


title: Avicii

text: On 26 March 2019, Bergling's family launched a mental illness and suicide prevention foundation, named after the late DJ, the Tim Bergling Foundation. The foundation works internationally and aims to educate people and businesses on the issues surrounding suicide and mental health. The foundation also works to tackle climate change, manage business development, and conserve endangered species. Since 2019 people in the music industry are claiming Avicii's death has raised awareness of mental health in the industry.


title: Avicii

text: Avicii inspired many artists in the EDM genre, many of whom paid tribute to him after his death. Norwegian DJ Kygo cited Avicii as "[his] biggest inspiration and the reason why [he] started making electronic music." In addition, artists like Alan Walker and DubVision described him as an "icon" in EDM. Other artists such as Diplo, Sebastian Ingrosso, Felix Jaehn, and Martin Garrix, the last of whom collaborated with Avicii on his 2015 single "Waiting for Love", have also cited him as a source of inspiration, with the songs "Levels" and "Seek Bromance" being specifically mentioned as points of inspiration.


title: Avicii

text: On the day of his death, "The Washington Post" wrote an article citing Avicii as a pioneer artist in the attempt to bridge the gap between country and electronic music, crediting his 2013 hits "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother" as good examples of this movement. Avicii is also credited for influencing other attempts at continuing this genre crossover, including songs such as Zedd's "The Middle" and Hailee Steinfeld's "Let Me Go".


title: Avicii

text: Avicii also influenced a number of mainstream artists outside electronic music. Nile Rodgers said that in terms of melody writing, Avicii was "maybe one of the best, if not "the" best I've ever worked with." Mike Einziger of Incubus said "Some of the work we did together is some of the music I'm most proud of in my whole life." Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons said "working with [Avicii] was one of my favorite collaborative moments." Charlie Puth said that Avicii was "The man who really opened my eyes as to what my productions could one day sound like." Eric Clapton, who never publicly worked with Avicii, said he was "Inspired by Avicii", and dedicated a song off his Christmas album, "Happy Xmas", to him.


title: Avicii

text: On 21 November 2019, "Billboard" named Avicii's 2011 hit "Levels" as one of the one hundred songs which defined the 2010s, whereas his 2013 hit "Wake Me Up" came 13th (and was the highest-charting EDM song) on the Official Charts Company's chart of the decade.


title: Avicii

text: On 9 June 2020, it was announced that an Avicii Tribute Museum would open in Stockholm in the summer of 2021. The renamed Avicii Experience was opened in February 2022 by Prince Carl Phillip and Princess Sofia, alongside Bergling's father Klas, in Space Stockholm, a new digital culture centre near Sergels torg. The museum features reconstructions of Bergling's childhood bedroom and Los Angeles mansion, as well as offering recordings of Avicii's most popular work and unreleased music.


title: Avicii

text: The museum was the idea of Bergling's parents, who wanted to give fans a place to remember and celebrate the work of their late son and learn about his process for creating music. The interactive museum also includes exhibitions from various stages in Bergling's life, including a simulation of the high paced lifestyle he experienced before his retirement from touring in 2016, which are designed to give visitors an understanding of the health issues faced by the star. Exhibitions are also dedicated to raising the awareness of mental health problems in young people and the wider music industry.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: In North America, the manga is licensed in English by Viz Media, for both print and digital release, and it is also published by Shueisha on the "Manga Plus" online platform. An anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA premiered in October 2022.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: As of November 2022, the manga had over 20 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 2021, it won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the "shōnen" category and won the Harvey Awards in the Best Manga category in 2021 and 2022. "Chainsaw Man" has been overall well received by critics, who have commended its storytelling, characters, dark humor and have particularly highlighted its violent scenes within the context of the story.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: The story is set in a world where are born from human fears. Devils are usually dangerous and malevolent, their power is proportional to the fear they incite. However, humans can form contracts with them to use their power, and there are individuals specializing in hunting and employing them, called . Devils originate from Hell, and exist in a cycle between Earth and Hell: they migrate to Earth when killed in Hell, and vice versa. Dwelling in Hell are extremely powerful Devils called Primal Fears, which have never been killed. Transit between planes appears to be overseen by the .


title: Chainsaw Man

text: A Devil may, in certain conditions, inhabit the body of a dead human, gaining some of their memories and personality; such a creature is called a . In rare cases, a living Fiend Host is possible where the dead human is able to retain their personality and balance control of the body with their inhabitant, who they are able to directly converse with. Devils who naturally have a humanoid form are said to be benevolent to humans. Devils can make contracts with humans, where in exchange for a sacrifice the human makes, the human can summon the Devil until either the contract expires or the Devil terminates it.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: The events of the story take place in 1997, in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union still exists, and many events such as the Holocaust, AIDS and nuclear weapons are revealed to have been erased from history and have ceased to exist entirely due to the consumption of their respective Devils by the Chainsaw Devil, with only a powerful group of devils known as the Four Horsemen (Control, War, Hunger, Death) remembering the original events. Likewise, there has been no war since the First World War as the War Devil has been weakened to the point that the only traces of war exist in pop culture and media.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Denji is a young man trapped in poverty, working off his deceased father's debt to the "yakuza" by working as a Devil Hunter, aided by Pochita, his canine companion and Chainsaw Devil. Denji is betrayed by the "yakuza", who kill him for a contract with the Zombie Devil. Pochita makes a contract with Denji, merging with him as a human-devil Hybrid, under the condition that Denji shows his dreams to Pochita. Denji massacres the "yakuza", and is approached by a team of governmental Devil Hunters, the Public Safety Division, led by Makima, who persuades him to join their ranks. Agreeing, Denji is partnered with Power, the Blood Fiend, and Aki Hayakawa, a self-destructive Devil Hunter. Makima promises Denji any favor, provided he kill the Gun Devil, perpetrator of the greatest massacre in human history.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Several missions later, Denji's group encounters another hybrid, the Katana Man, a vengeful "yakuza" seemingly allied with the Gun Devil, attacks the Division. Makima and devil hunter Kobeni Higashiyama managed to repel the "yakuza", but they lost a great portion of the Division, including Aki's partner Himeno. In order to match them, Denji and Power are trained by Kishibe, a master Devil-hunter who distrusts Makima; Aki makes a deal with the Future Devil, who foresees a "horrible death" for him. The Division launches a counter-attack against the Katana Man, capturing him.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Some time later, Denji meets and begins a romance with a woman named Reze, who is actually the Bomb Devil, a Hybrid spy for the Soviet Union, sent to capture him. Though returning his affection, she attacks the city, with the Division barely saving Denji. After recovering, Denji fights her, and accepts a proposal to leave Japan together; before they can reunite, Makima secretly captures her, though her true motivation remains unknown. Denji's fight with Bomb Devil reveals his existence to the world.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Foreign assassin groups target Denji: Chinese hunter and Kishibe's former partner, Quanxi; a mysterious enemy of Makima called "Santa Claus"; three American brothers; and a Russian woman teaching a pupil, Tolka. Denji is outfitted with a security detail including Hirofumi Yoshida, a Private Sector Devil Hunter contracting the Octopus Devil. Though the brothers are repelled, and Quanxi initially stalls, Santa Claus uses their Doll Devil powers for a large horde attack. After a follow-up by Quanxi, Tolka's master reveals herself as the true "Santa Claus", and has all parties transported to Hell, where they are attacked by the Darkness Devil. Santa Claus makes a contract with the Darkness Devil that empowers her. Makima retrieves the group from Hell, and Quanxi (who is revealed to be a hybrid) helps Denji defeat Santa Claus; Makima dispatches her afterwards. Following the incident, several devil hunters resigns, including Kobeni.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: After Denji recovers, Makima reveals the Gun Devil is actually a geopolitical asset, with many factions controlling pieces of it. As Aki begs Makima for Denji's safety, the president of the United States orders the Gun Devil to attack Japan and kill Makima. Revealed to be the Control Devil, Makima confronts the Gun Devil and wins. Aki dies in the attack through a contract he made with Makima, and the Gun Devil takes his body as a Fiend. Denji is attacked by the Gun Fiend, and, helped by civilians, kills it; Aki's death devastates him. While seemingly consoling him, Makima brutally kills Power, revealing herself responsible for Denji's losses, having plotted to void his contract with Pochita by crushing his dreams of a normal life.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Kishibe attacks her, and she calls for "Chainsaw Man" to save her. Controlling Denji's body, Pochita assumes his true form and runs, taking Kobeni with him. Makima explains her goals: to use Pochita's power to eliminate concepts from reality to create a world without suffering; to this end, she was empowered by the government with immortality. Fighting the Chainsaw Man using the brainwashed Hybrids, which include Katana Man, Reze, and Quanxi, she wins, as Denji's heroic deeds have weakened Pochita, who saves Kobeni. However, Power revives as the Blood Devil from a remnant of her blood from Denji, escapes with Chainsaw Man, and, mortally wounded, restores Denji's will to live, having him promise to find her when she is reborn in Hell.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Invigorated by public support for him, Denji confronts Makima for one last time and defeats her using Power's blood; to bypass her immortality, he cooks and eats her body. Later, Kishibe reveals the Control Devil resurfaced in the form of a little girl, now named Nayuta. He asks Denji to look after her, and Pochita supports this mission in Denji's dreams. Later, Denji enrolls in high school and continues fighting devils under the public eye.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Asa Mitaka is an introverted high school student attending Fourth East High School, who has trouble finding her place in society following her mother's death to the Typhoon Devil. One day, after accidentally killing her class' pet devil Bucky, she is confronted by a student who has made a contract with the Justice Devil. The student attempts to kill Asa, but Yoru the War Devil appears and makes a contract with Asa, inhabting her body and making her a living Fiend host, under the condition that she kills Chainsaw Man. After dispatching her killer, Asa seeks to find Chainsaw Man, though she and Yoru have differing goals: Asa wants Yoru to leave her body, while Yoru wants to reclaim the Nuclear Weapons Devil which was consumed by Pochita. They join the school's Devil Hunter Club, where they are partnered with Yoshida and Yuko, an outgoing student who becomes friends with her.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Meanwhile, Denji has adapted to his new life as a normal high school student, also attending Fourth East, while using his newfound superhero fame to attract women. Yoshida keeps tabs on him under an unknown mission. Knowing that Denji is desperate for a girlfriend, Yoshida introduces Denji to Asa, who attempts to reveal to her that he is Chainsaw Man, but fails.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Asa later discovers that Yuko formed a contract with the Justice Devil and plans on enacting revenge on everyone who bullied Asa. Using Yoru's devil abilities, Asa confronts Yuko, but accidentally kills her. At that moment, "Yoru's sister" appears and revives Yuko, turning her into a giant devil rampaging through the school. Denji attacks devil Yuko, but she escapes. The now-disfigured Yuko bids farewell to Asa and goes on the run for help, but a mysterious impostor Chainsaw Man kills her. Later, Asa and Yoru meets Haruka Iseumi, the President of both the Devil Hunter's Club and the student council, who has taken interest in her. "Yoru's sister" also reveals herself to be the Famine Devil, naming herself Fami, who's also a devil hunter club member. Haruka tells Yoru that he is Chainsaw Man, showing her a starting cord attached to his chest as proof. Seemingly convinced, Asa starts a relationship with Denji in hopes of using him as a weapon against Chainsaw Man, unaware of his true nature.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Despite the series' violence and dark humor, Tatsuki Fujimoto always wanted to serialize in "Weekly Shōnen Jump", but he had the feeling that his work would be "buried" if he had made a ""Jump"-like manga", so he tried to retain much of his individuality as a creator while making only the structure and characters "Jump"-like. Fujimoto also said that, despite its success in the magazine, he wanted to write the second part of the series on "Shōnen Jump+", because he wanted to do a completely different series from the first part. According to him, there is not much of a difference in working between "Weekly Shōnen Jump" and "Shōnen Jump+", explaining that there were a few depictions that got stopped during the rough draft stage, but he was allowed to do anything he wanted regarding the logic of the story.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Fujimoto said that he took inspiration from various works. During the serialization of "Chainsaw Man", Fujimoto said that he was too busy, but he watched as many new things as he could and borrowed various elements from what he saw. On Twitter, he stated that he was a fan of the 2016 film trilogy "Kizumonogatari", and that the trilogy's final battle, shown in "Part 3: Reiketsu", inspired the final battle of the first part of "Chainsaw Man". He also described the series as a "wicked "FLCL"" and a "pop "Abara"." Fujimoto had various elements from the series planned from the beginning, while other things were added as it progressed. He did not have specific plans to bring payoff to the meaningful-sounding words and things that felt "off", adding that he left various things vague to make the series' second part easier to do.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Regarding the anime adaptation of the series, Fujimoto stated that he talked to the people handling it and he was comfortable leaving things to them. When the anime series was officially announced, Fujimoto commented: ""Chainsaw Man" is like a copycat of "Dorohedoro" and "Jujutsu Kaisen", and the studio of "Dorohedoro" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" will produce its anime!? I have nothing to say! Please do it!" According to the manga's editor, Shihei Lin, Fujimoto is heavily involved in the production of the anime series, stating: "Fujimoto-san has seen all the "Chainsaw Man"s pitch documents, story structure, scripts, and even the storyboards. He has continued to be in close contact with MAPPA's anime team." MAPPA producer, Makoto Kimura, also commented that Fujimoto involvement extended to the casting, planning, and music, because the staff wanted the anime to capture as much of the manga's original vision as possible, including the violence and gore. MAPPA approached Shueisha with the pitch for the project.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: "Chainsaw Man" is written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The series' first part, , ran in Shueisha's "shōnen" manga anthology "Weekly Shōnen Jump" from December 3, 2018, to December 14, 2020; following the series' conclusion in "Weekly Shōnen Jump", a second part was announced to start on Shueisha's "Shōnen Jump+" online magazine. On December 19, 2020, it was announced that the second part, , would feature Denji going to school. The second part began serialization on July 13, 2022. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual "tankōbon" volumes. The first volume was released on March 4, 2019. As of October 4, 2022, twelve volumes have been released.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: In North America, Viz Media published the series' first two chapters on their "Weekly Shonen Jump" digital magazine for its "Jump Start" initiative. The series was then published on the "Shonen Jump" digital platform after the cancellation of "Weekly Shonen Jump". Shueisha also simulpublished the series in English on the app and website "Manga Plus" starting in January 2019. In February 2020, Viz Media announced the digital and print release of the manga. Viz Media posted an official trailer for the manga, featuring a high-octane opera vocals as its soundtrack. The first volume was released on October 6, 2020. As of June 7, 2022, eleven volumes have been released.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: The manga is also licensed in France by Kazé, in Italy, Mexico and Brazil by Panini, in Spain by Norma Editorial, in Thailand by Siam Inter Comics, in Poland by Waneko, in Germany by Egmont Manga, in Argentina by Editorial Ivrea, in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing, in South Korea by Haksan Publishing, in Russia by Azbooka-Atticus, and in Vietnam by Tre Publishing House.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: On December 14, 2020, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA. It had a stage presentation at the Jump Festa '21, as part of the Jump Studio series of stage presentations that were held online on December 19–20, 2020. The first trailer for the anime series was shown at the "MAPPA Stage 2021 – 10th Anniversary" event, held on June 27, 2021. The anime is directed by Ryū Nakayama (director) and Masato Nakazono (chief episode director), with scripts by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Kazutaka Sugiyama, and devil designs by Kiyotaka Oshiyama. Tatsuya Yoshihara is serving as action director and Yūsuke Takeda is directing the art. Naomi Nakano is the color key artist and Yohei Miyahara is designing the screens. The series premiered on October 12, 2022, on TV Tokyo and other networks.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Crunchyroll has licensed the series outside of Asia, and began streaming an English dub on October 25, 2022. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: The music of the series is composed by Kensuke Ushio. The first soundtrack EP (for episodes 1–3), was released on October 26, 2022; the second EP (for episodes 4–7) was released on November 23; and third EP (for episodes 8–12) is set to be released on December 28. The original soundtrack album, "Chainsaw Man Original Sound track Complete Edition - chainsaw edge fragments -", is set to be released on January 23, 2023. The opening theme song is "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu, while each episode features a different ending theme song.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: A novel, titled , written by Sakaku Hishikawa, with illustrations by Tatsuki Fujimoto, was published on November 4, 2021. It tells three stories focused on a theme of "buddies" about Power and Denji, Kishibe and Quanxi during their partner era, and Himeno and Aki around the time they first met.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: An exhibition, "Chainsaw Man Manga Exhibition", ran at the Space Hachikai gallery area of Tower Records, Shibuya, from June 12 to July 4, 2021.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Good Smile Company launched Nendoroid figures based on characters from the series in October 2021, including Denji, Pochita and Power. Denji made a cameo in the superhero manga series "My Hero Academia" in chapter 259, as part of the hero raid in the Paranormal War Liberation arc.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: The series ranked #4 on Takarajimasha's "Kono Manga ga Sugoi!" list of best manga of 2020 for male readers, and topped the 2021 list. On "Freestyle" magazine's "The Best Manga 2020 Kono Manga wo Yome!" list, the series ranked #12, and ranked #16, along with "", on the 2021 list. It ranked #2, behind "Spy × Family", on "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020" by the Honya Club online bookstore. In 2020, the series ranked #10 in the "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll conducted by AnimeJapan. The series ranked #45 on the 2020 "Book of the Year" list by "Da Vinci" magazine; it ranked #43 on the 2021 list. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150.000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, "Chainsaw Man" ranked #58. The series was #12 on the annual Twitter Japan's Trend Awards in 2021, based on the social network's top trending topics of the year.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: By August 2020, the manga had over 3 million copies in circulation; it had over 4.2 million copies in circulation by October 2020; over 5 million copies in circulation by December 2020; over 6.4 million copies in circulation by January 2021; over 9.3 million copies in circulation by March 2021; over 11 million copies in circulation by June 2021; over 12 million copies in circulation by December 2021; over 13 million copies in circulation by June 2022; over 15 million copies in circulation by August 2022; over 16 million copies in circulation by September 2022; over 18 million copies in circulation by October 2022; and over 20 million copies in circulation by November 2022.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: "Chainsaw Man" was the fifth best-selling manga series in the first half of 2021 (period between November 2020 and May 2021), with over 4 million copies sold. In 2021, it was the seventh best-selling manga with over 5 million copies sold.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: The series has ranked on NPD BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since 2020. It has also ranked on "The New York Times" monthly Graphic Books and Manga bestseller list since 2021. According to "ICv2", "Chainsaw Man" was the tenth best-selling manga franchise for fall 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the third "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. According to NPD BookScan, the first, second and third volumes of "Chainsaw Man" were the #4, #17 and #18, respectively, highest-selling manga volumes in 2021. The first volume sold 18,000 copies in the United States in 2020, and the eight volumes collectively sold 623,000 copies in 2021.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: "Chainsaw Man" has been overall well received by critics. James Beckett of "Anime News Network" ranked the first volume as a B+. Beckett commented: "["Chainsaw Man" is] goofy, kinky, dark, and bizarre, which is already the kind of tonal mishmash I'm generally down for in my art," praising as well its compelling world-building and character development, adding that the volume "earns plenty of goodwill by committing to its surprisingly earnest and charming brand of ferocious bloodletting." Nicholas Dupree from the same website commented: "[i]t's a bizarre, unpredictable, and undeniably unique thrill ride, and love it or hate it, there's nothing else quite like it." Hannah Collins of "Comic Book Resources" gave the series a positive review, stating: ""Chainsaw Man" bears all the hallmarks of a standard supernatural action series, but its quieter moments are where its dark heart beats fastest." "Polygon"s Julia Lee gave the series a positive review, commenting: ""Chainsaw Man" is considered one of "Shonen Jump"s best new series, and for good reason. The graphic rip-and-tear fights, paired with a unique and funny story about devils makes for one great manga." Sheena McNeil of "Sequential Tart" gave the first volume a 9/10. McNeil stated: "I did not think I was going to enjoy this manga. I'm glad I was wrong!" She noted that the series has similar elements from "Army of Darkness", "Devilman", "Dorohedoro" and inspiration from various devil-hunting series, recommending it to fans of those works.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Anna Neatrour of "Manga Report" gave a positive review to the first volume, calling its monster fighting, "buckets of gore", and humor "plenty amusing," and calling Denji an "incredibly damaged but potentially powerful hero." Reviewing the first volume, Danica Davidson of "Otaku USA" called the series "a little creepy" and "downright bizarre," adding however, that it is "a bloody, action-packed shonen with some heart showing through the weirdness, and it's been very successful in Japan." Following her "read-a-thoning" of the series, Katherine Dacey of "The Manga Critic" commented that she finished it with a "grudging respect for Fujimoto's excessive, ridiculous creation, which entertained and repelled me in equal measure. Your mileage will vary." Ian Wolf of "Anime UK News" gave the first volume a 6/10. Wolf wrote that the main feature of the series is the action sequences, but criticized the lack of depth in writing, concluding: ""Chainsaw Man" has some things going for it and hopefully may well build up from a promising start."


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Fujimoto's art style has also been commended. Collins praised Fujimoto's penmanship, stating that the "thickly-sketched lines on individual characters and still moments convey the rough edges of [its] world." Dupree lauded the series' art style, stating: "as the Devil enemies of the story grow more powerful, his imagination for bizarre, abstract, and genuinely unsettling visual storytelling reaches heights I've never seen in a "Jump" series before." Beckett called the character designs and general linework "a bit generic at first glance," but that when "the carnage comes flooding in," the series "has a clarity of style and consistency of vision that can be wondrous to behold." McNeil said that the character designs, other than Pochita and Chainsaw Man, are "not memorable," but that the art "really shines for the creepy Devils, the action, and especially the gore." Regarding the devils' designs, Dacey wrote that some are "uninspired" and that the most memorable ones are "clearly designed to elicit an appreciative 'ewww. Wolf stated that the art of the series "feels better than its writing," adding that visually, the action and fighting make the manga appealing.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Various reviewers have commented the use of violence and gory scenes within the context of the story. Dupree wrote that the "irreverent tone and deliciously gory violence" are elements that make the series "really stand out from the get-go." Collins wrote that the gory scenes, instead of being gratuitous, make the story feel "refreshingly unfiltered." McNeil commented that the series is "wonderfully absurd. It's funny, , and violent, but also has an interesting bit of humanity at its core." Davinson called it "casually gruesome and violent," but that it fits with its theme. Lee wrote: ""Chainsaw Man" is gory. Extremely gory," adding that these scenes make the series different from other "shōnen" series, calling them "pretty gross," but "fitting for a dark manga about slashing devils down with a chainsaw." Dacey called the series a "blood-and-testosterone-soaked battle manga," commenting that its main appeal is the "outrageous displays of gore and violence," adding as well that Fujimoto "does his utmost to push the boundaries of good taste." Beckett wrote that the "delightfully ridiculous and bloody" premise runs with it in "all sorts of fascinating directions," adding however, that its reveling in crude humor and violence could be off-putting to some readers.


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Regarding the characters, Adi Tantimedh of "Bleeding Cool" called them "sad, broken people who live outside the norms of society and haven't learned basic social skills," adding as well that the series' subtext is about "people getting abused, degraded, dehumanized, objectified, literally becoming objects." He concluded: "[s]ociety is to blame for degrading people into tools and objects; these seem to be saying, though they never outright blame Capitalism or the alienating repressiveness of Japanese society. The result is one of the more unique manga out there." Collins commented that the series has a premise "loosely" comparable to "Jujutsu Kaisen", adding, however, that Denji might fit the mold of a "shōnen" protagonist on paper, but that the mold is "only there to be broken," comparing his "life on the fringes of society" to a "Dickensian parable about the plight of the working class." Dacey called Denji "a more honest shonen hero than the typical "Jump" lead; he thinks and acts like a real teenage boy, right down to his self-absorption and total objectification of women," adding that she did not "ever warmed to Denji as a lead character." Lee commented that the series has an "interestingly goofy contrast between the characters and what's going on," adding that Denji's simple mind and "kind-of-horny instincts" can get tiring at times, but it does not make the series bad, and with the introduction of the "extremely interesting side characters," like Power and Makima, the story "takes a turn for the better."


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Its way of handling comedy has also been commented. Tantimedh stated that the series has a "unique sense of deadpan comic timing" that "makes the series unique," adding as well that the series distinguishes itself for its slapstick comedy and that a "deadly earnest" tone might have made the series unreadable. Beckett said that when he read the premise, he took the series at face value as a "goofy nonsense comic, a parody of shonen manga that primarily exists to push out page-after-page of gross-out gags and gory action," also calling it "a mishmash of raunchy teen sex comedies, "Hellboy", and "The Evil Dead"." Dupree stated that the "crass, crude, and purposefully lowbrow" humor is one of its defining characteristics, adding that there are multiple jokes where it feels like half the punchline is that the series, "in all its gleefully nihilistic indulgence," was published in the same magazine as other "bleedingly sincere and family-friendly" titles like "One Piece" or "My Hero Academia". Neatrour said: "[t]here's a level of off-kilter humor in "Chainsaw Man" that I find endearing," and that it also has "plenty of juvenile humor." Davinson commented that the humor of the series mainly revolves around Denji trying to get a girlfriend. Wolf wrote that "the ridiculousness of the story helps to add comedy to the whole thing," although, he called the humor "rather base at best."


title: Chainsaw Man

text: Reviewers have also commented the emotional aspects of the series. Dacey discussed its unexpected moments of "genuine pathos," talking about the interactions between Denji and Pochita, noting as well parallels to Denji's relationship with Makima. Davidson also stated that the emotional part of the story is about the love between Denji and Pochita. Dupree wrote that the series' "bombastic, borderline nihilistic maelstrom of gore and dick jokes" is in part a reaction to the "absurd and illogical world it takes place in," adding that the series has a "proudly beating heart. Perhaps a cynical heart, but one that nonetheless sympathizes with the struggle to find meaning or solace in a cruel and unpredictable world." Reviewing the series' 97th and last chapter published in "Weekly Shōnen Jump", Reiichi Narima of "Real Sound" commented that Denji's growth through loss is a storytelling more related to "seinen" manga than "shōnen" manga, adding that he was "deeply moved" by the inclusion of this kind of stories in the magazine, ultimately calling it a masterpiece and concluding: "at the core of bloody violence, there was a boy's sad love story."


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The Good Doctor is an American medical drama television series based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name. Actor Daniel Dae Kim noticed the original series and bought the rights for his production company. He began adapting the series and, in 2015, eventually shopped it to CBS Television Studios. CBS decided against creating a pilot. Because Kim felt so strongly about the series, he bought back the rights from CBS. Eventually, Sony Pictures Television and Kim worked out a deal and brought on David Shore, creator of the Fox medical drama "House", to develop the series.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The show is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios and ABC Signature, in association with production companies Shore Z Productions, 3AD, and Entermedia. David Shore serves as showrunner and Daniel Dae Kim is an executive producer for the show.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The series stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young autistic savant surgical resident at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Hill Harper, Christina Chang, Richard Schiff, Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, Paige Spara, Noah Galvin, and Bria Samoné Henderson also star in the show. Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Chuku Modu, Beau Garrett, Tamlyn Tomita, Jasika Nicole, and Osvaldo Benavides used to also star or had recurring roles in the show, but their characters were written off. The series received a put pilot commitment at ABC after a previous attempted series did not move forward at CBS Television Studios in 2015; "The Good Doctor" was ordered to series in May 2017. On October 3, 2017, ABC picked up the series for a full season of 18 episodes. The series is primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The series debuted on September 25, 2017. "The Good Doctor" has received generally mixed reviews from critics, who have praised Highmore's performance but criticized the series' storylines. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a sixth season, which premiered on October 3, 2022.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The series follows Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgeon with savant syndrome from the small city of Casper, Wyoming, where he had a troubled past. He relocates to San Jose, California, to work at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: In May 2014, CBS Television Studios began development on an American remake of the hit South Korean medical drama "Good Doctor" with Daniel Dae Kim as producer. Kim explained the appeal of adapting the series as "something that can fit into a recognizable world, with a breadth of characters that can be explored in the long run". The story of an autistic pediatric surgeon was to be set in Boston and projected to air in August 2015. However, CBS did not pick up the project and it moved to Sony Pictures Television, with a put pilot commitment from ABC in October 2016. The series is developed by David Shore, who is executive producing alongside Kim, Sebastian Lee, and David Kim. ABC officially ordered the series to pilot in January 2017.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: On May 11, 2017, ABC ordered to series as a co-production with Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios, and it was officially picked up for a season of 18 episodes on October 3, 2017. On March 7, 2018, ABC renewed the series for a second season. On February 5, 2019, during the TCA press tour, ABC renewed the series for a third season which premiered on September 23, 2019. On February 10, 2020, ABC renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on November 2, 2020. On August 6, 2020, it was reported that the fourth season opener is set to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 3, 2021, ABC renewed the series for a fifth season which premiered on September 27, 2021. On March 30, 2022, ABC renewed the series for a sixth season which premiered on October 3, 2022.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: On February 17, 2017, Antonia Thomas was cast as Dr. Claire Browne, a strong-willed and talented doctor who forms a special connection with Shaun. A week later, Freddie Highmore was cast in the lead role as Dr. Shaun Murphy, an autistic surgeon, and Nicholas Gonzalez was cast as Dr. Neil Melendez, the supervisor of the hospital's surgical residents. The next month, Chuku Modu was cast as resident Dr. Jared Kalu (originally Dr. Jared Unger); Hill Harper as head of surgery Dr. Marcus Andrews (originally Dr. Horace Andrews); Irene Keng as resident Dr. Elle McLean; and Richard Schiff was cast as Dr. Aaron Glassman (originally Dr. Ira Glassman), the hospital president and Shaun's mentor. Schiff was shortly followed by Beau Garrett as hospital board member Jessica Preston and a friend of Dr. Glassman. In September 2017, Tamlyn Tomita was promoted to the principal cast as Allegra Aoki.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: In April 2018, it was revealed that Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, Christina Chang, and Paige Spara had been promoted to series regulars for the second season, after recurring in the first as Alex, Morgan, Audrey, and Lea, respectively. In addition, it was announced that Chuku Modu would not return for the second season. On September 19, 2018, it was announced that Beau Garrett had left the series ahead of the second-season premiere.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: In January 2019, it was announced that executive producer Daniel Dae Kim had been added in a recurring role during the second season. In July 2019, it was announced that Jasika Nicole was promoted to series regular for the third season. In October 2020, Noah Galvin, Summer Brown, Bria Samoné Henderson, and Brian Marc were cast in recurring roles for the fourth season. In May 2021, Galvin and Henderson were promoted to series regulars for the fifth season. In June 2021, Osvaldo Benavides was promoted to series regular for the fifth season.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: In April 2022, Hollis Jane Andrews was booked in a recurring role for the fifth season while Brandon Larracuente and Savannah Welch were cast in recurring roles for the sixth season. On November 8, 2022, Larracuente had been promoted to a series regular for the sixth season.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: Production on the pilot took place from March 21 to April 6, 2017, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Filming for the rest of the season began on July 26, 2017, and concluded on March 1, 2018. Filming for season two began on June 27, 2018, and concluded on February 12, 2019. Filming for the third season began on June 19, 2019 and concluded on March 3, 2020. Filming for the fourth season was originally scheduled to begin on August 4, 2020 and conclude on April 13, 2021, but was later postponed to September 2, 2020, and concluded on May 14, 2021. The fifth season began production on August 16, 2021, and concluded on April 29, 2022. Filming for the sixth season began on August 3, 2022 and is scheduled to conclude on April 17, 2023.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: Emmy-nominated Dan Romer serves as the primary composer for the series. He won an ASCAP Screen Music Award for his work on the show.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: "The Good Doctor" began airing on September 25, 2017, on ABC in the United States, and on CTV in Canada. Sky Witness acquired the broadcast rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Seven Network airs the series in Australia. Colors Infinity acquired the rights to the series for the Indian Subcontinent in October 2017, airing each episode 24 hours after its US broadcast. Wowow, the largest Japanese private satellite and pay-per-view television network in Japan acquired the rights to broadcast the series beginning in April 2018. In the Netherlands, the series began airing on January 29, 2018, on RTL 4 and on video-on-demand service Videoland. In Italy, the series premiered on Rai 1 on July 17, 2018, setting a record of 5.2 million total viewers from 9:30 pm to 11:45 pm, reaching a share of 31,7% in the third episode and entering the Top 10 of Most Watched Foreign TV Series in Italy at No.5, an event since the leaderboard never changed again after the last entry on November 14, 2007 with an episode of House. In Brazil, the series was the first international production to be released at the TV Globo's video-on-demand service Globoplay. On August 27, the two first episodes was aired at Globo free-to-air television network to announce the launch of the series in the streaming service. On March 20, 2020, the Chilean public broadcaster Televisión Nacional de Chile announced the arrival of the series, with a "Coming soon" advertisement. In Bulgaria, the series began airing on July 13, 2020, on bTV.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: A full-length trailer was released for ABC's May 2017 Upfront presentation, which /Film's Ethan Anderton described the concept as feeling like ""House" meets "Rain Man", that just might be enough to make it interesting". However, he questioned "how long can audiences be entranced by both the brilliance of [Highmore's] character's savant skills and the difficulties that come from his autism in the workplace." Daniel Fienberg of "The Hollywood Reporter" felt the trailer was "both kinda progressive and really dated". He added, "Too much felt on-the-nose—especially Hill Harper as the main character's detractor and Richard Schiff as his noble defender", while also commentating that "On-the-nose/premise is how you have to trailer a show like this, and maybe spaced out over 43 minutes it won't grate." Ben Travers and Steve Greene for IndieWire called it "a serious trailer for a serious subject. The first glimpse of Highmore's character hints that they're toeing the line between presenting a thoughtful depiction of his condition and using his perceptive abilities as a kind of secret weapon." The trailer had been viewed over 25.4 million times after a week of its release, including over 22 million views on Facebook.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The pilot was screened at ABC's PaleyFest event on September 9, 2017. On March 22, 2018, members of the cast as well as executive producers Shore and Kim attended the 35th annual PaleyFest LA to promote the series, along with a screening of the season finale of the first season.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: In May 2018, Hulu acquired the SVOD rights to new and past episodes of the series to air exclusively on Hulu, with future episodes becoming available the day after their original broadcast on ABC. In Australia the show's first 4 seasons streams on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Stan as well as Disney+ through its Star hub as the show is produced by ABC Signature and Sony Pictures Television and is part of the Disney/Sony Deal that was struck in 2021. 6 Seasons also stream for free with ads on 7 Plus. In New Zealand, the show is available exclusively for streaming on Neon. The pilot episode was made available for viewing on February 5, 2018 with the newer episodes coming express from the US. In Canada, the series streams on Crave. In India, the series streams exclusively on Sony LIV at the same time as U.S. Broadcast and show's first four seasons are also available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: In August 2022, it was reported that a planned spin-off titled "The Good Lawyer" was in development at ABC. It will be introduced in a backdoor pilot during the sixth season.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: The series premiere earned a 2.2/9 rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, with 11.22 million total viewers, making it the most watched Monday drama debut on ABC in 21 years, since "Dangerous Minds" in September 1996, and the highest rated Monday drama in the 18–49 demographic in 8.5 years, since "Castle" in March 2009. Factoring live plus seven-day ratings, the pilot was watched by a total of 19.2 million viewers and set a record for DVR viewers with 7.9 million, surpassing the record of 7.67 million set by the pilot of "Designated Survivor" in 2016. According to "TV Guide" November 13–26 issue, the October 9 episode attracted 18.2 million viewers, beating out both high-rated CBS shows "NCIS" and "The Big Bang Theory" for the most viewed primetime show that week.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 63% based on 43 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's consensus reads, ""The Good Doctor"s heavy-handed bedside manner undermines a solid lead performance, but under all the emotionally manipulative gimmickry, there's still plenty of room to improve." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: Giving his first impression of the series' pilot for TVLine, Matt Webb Mitovich stated, ""The Good Doctor" boasts great DNA... [and] has the potential to be a refreshingly thought-provoking hospital drama, based on the buttons pushed in the pilot alone." He enjoyed the "warm dynamic" of Schiff and Highmore, while describing Thomas' character as "our emotional 'in' to Shaun's distinct, distant world". He noted that "it takes a while to build up momentum", but concluded that "the very final scene packs quite a punch, as Dr. Murphy unwittingly puts a colleague on notice".


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: "The New York Times" television critic James Poniewozik notes in his Critic's Notebook column that, for the most part, the drama is a "hospital melodrama with whiz-bang medical science, a dash of intra-staff romance and shameless sentimentality." Discussing the main characters Shaun and Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), Poniewozik writes that "Mr. Schiff is convincing in the role and Mr. Highmore is striking in his."


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: Speaking of Freddie Highmore's Golden Globe nomination on Monday, December 11, 2017, for his role in "The Good Doctor", Laura Bradley, writing for "Vanity Fair" says: "... Freddie Highmore received the awards recognition that has long and unjustly eluded him..." Bradley feels that Highmore's performance has been "the central key" to the show's enormous success and while the show received lukewarm reviews, most critics have praised Highmore's work.


title: The Good Doctor (TV series)

text: Christy Duan, Vasilis K. Pozios and Praveen R. Kambam wrote in their critique for "The Hollywood Reporter" that "The Good Doctor" presents a belief that autistic individuals only benefit society when they possess savant abilities. This is similar to arguments made by Douwe Draaisma that directors look to make an authentic representation of autism and create a character with savant skills.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". He also wrote and sang the Beatles songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of four others.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Starr was afflicted by life-threatening illnesses during childhood, with periods of prolonged hospitalisation. He briefly held a position with British Rail before securing an apprenticeship as a machinist at a Liverpool school equipment manufacturer. Soon afterwards, Starr became interested in the UK skiffle craze and developed a fervent admiration for the genre. In 1957, he co-founded his first band, the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group, which earned several prestigious local bookings before the fad succumbed to American rock and roll around early 1958. When the Beatles formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. After achieving moderate success in the UK and Hamburg, he quit the Hurricanes when he was asked to join the Beatles in August 1962, replacing Pete Best.


title: Ringo Starr

text: In addition to the Beatles' films, Starr has acted in numerous others. After the band's break-up in 1970, he released several successful singles including the US top-ten hit "It Don't Come Easy", and number ones "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen". His most successful UK single was "Back Off Boogaloo", which peaked at number two. He achieved commercial and critical success with his 1973 album "Ringo", which was a top-ten release in both the UK and the US. Starr has featured in numerous documentaries, hosted television shows, narrated the first two series of the children's television program "Thomas & Friends" and portrayed "Mr. Conductor" during the first season of the PBS children's television series "Shining Time Station". Since 1989, he has toured with thirteen variations of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Starr's playing style, which emphasised feel over technical virtuosity, influenced many drummers to reconsider their playing from a compositional perspective. He also influenced various modern drumming techniques, such as the matched grip, tuning the drums lower, and using muffling devices on tonal rings. In his opinion, his finest recorded performance was on the Beatles' "Rain". In 1999, he was inducted into the "Modern Drummer" Hall of Fame. In 2011, "Rolling Stone" readers named him the fifth-greatest drummer of all time. He was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a Beatle in 1988 and as a solo artist in 2015, and appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to music. In 2020, he was cited as the wealthiest drummer in the world, with a net worth of $350 million.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Richard Starkey was born on 7 July 1940 at 9 Madryn Street in Dingle, an inner-city area of Liverpool. He is the only child of confectioners Richard Starkey (1913–1981) and Elsie Gleave (1914–1987). Elsie enjoyed singing and dancing, a hobby that she shared with her husband, an avid fan of swing. Prior to the birth of their son, whom they called "Richy", the couple had spent much of their free time on the local ballroom circuit, but their regular outings ended soon after his birth. Elsie adopted an overprotective approach to raising her son that bordered on fixation. Subsequently, "Big Ritchie", as Starkey's father became known, lost interest in his family, choosing instead to spend long hours drinking and dancing in pubs, sometimes for several consecutive days.


title: Ringo Starr

text: In an effort to reduce their housing costs, his family moved in 1944 to another neighbourhood in the Dingle, Admiral Grove; soon afterwards his parents separated, and they divorced within the year. Starkey later stated that he has "no real memories" of his father, who made little effort to bond with him, visiting as few as three times thereafter. Elsie found it difficult to survive on her ex-husband's support payments of thirty shillings a week, so she took on several menial jobs cleaning houses before securing a position as a barmaid, an occupation that she held for twelve years.


title: Ringo Starr

text: At the age of six, Starkey developed appendicitis. Following a routine appendectomy he contracted peritonitis, causing him to fall into a coma that lasted days. His recovery spanned twelve months, which he spent away from his family at Liverpool's Myrtle Street children's hospital. Upon his discharge in May 1948, his mother allowed him to stay at home, causing him to miss school. At age eight, he remained illiterate, with a poor grasp of mathematics. His lack of education contributed to a feeling of alienation at school, which resulted in his regularly playing truant at Sefton Park. After several years of twice-weekly tutoring from his surrogate sister and neighbour, Marie Maguire Crawford, Starkey had nearly caught up to his peers academically, but in 1953, he contracted tuberculosis and was admitted to a sanatorium, where he remained for two years. During his stay the medical staff made an effort to stimulate motor activity and relieve boredom by encouraging their patients to join the hospital band, leading to his first exposure to a percussion instrument: a makeshift mallet made from a cotton bobbin that he used to strike the cabinets next to his bed. Soon afterwards, he grew increasingly interested in drumming, receiving a copy of the Alyn Ainsworth song "Bedtime for Drums" as a convalescence gift from Crawford. Starkey commented: "I was in the hospital band ... That's where I really started playing. I never wanted anything else from there on ... My grandparents gave me a mandolin and a banjo, but I didn't want them. My grandfather gave me a harmonica ... we had a piano – nothing. Only the drums."


title: Ringo Starr

text: Starkey attended St Silas, a Church of England primary school near his house where his classmates nicknamed him "Lazarus", and later Dingle Vale Secondary modern school, where he showed an aptitude for art and drama, as well as practical subjects including mechanics. As a result of the prolonged hospitalisations, he fell behind his peers scholastically and was ineligible for the 11-plus qualifying examination required for attendance at a grammar school. On 17 April 1954, Starkey's mother married Harry Graves at the register office on Mount Pleasant, Liverpool. He was an ex-Londoner who had moved to Liverpool following the failure of his first marriage. Graves, an impassioned fan of big band music and their vocalists, introduced Starkey to recordings by Dinah Shore, Sarah Vaughan and Billy Daniels. Graves stated that he and "Ritchie" never had an unpleasant exchange between them; Starkey later commented: "He was great ... I learned gentleness from Harry." After the extended hospital stay following Starkey's recovery from tuberculosis, he did not return to school, preferring instead to stay at home and listen to music while playing along by beating biscuit tins with sticks.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Beatles biographer Bob Spitz described Starkey's upbringing as "a Dickensian chronicle of misfortune". Houses in the area were "poorly ventilated, postage-stamp-sized ... patched together by crumbling plaster walls, with a rear door that opened onto an outhouse." Crawford commented: "Like all of the families who lived in the Dingle, he was part of an ongoing struggle to survive." The children who lived there spent much of their time at Prince's Park, escaping the soot-filled air of their coal-fuelled neighbourhood. Adding to their difficult circumstances, violent crime was an almost constant concern for people living in one of the oldest and poorest inner-city districts in Liverpool. Starkey later commented: "You kept your head down, your eyes open, and you didn't get in anybody's way."


title: Ringo Starr

text: After his return home from the sanatorium in late 1955, Starkey entered the workforce but was lacking in motivation and discipline; his initial attempts at gainful employment proved unsuccessful. In an effort to secure himself some warm clothes, he briefly held a railway worker's job with British Rail, which came with an employer-issued suit. He was supplied with a hat but no uniform and, unable to pass the physical examination, he was laid off and granted unemployment benefits. He then found work as a waiter serving drinks on a day boat that travelled from Liverpool to North Wales, but his fear of conscription into military service led him to quit the job, not wanting to give the Royal Navy the impression that he was suitable for seafaring work. In mid-1956, Graves secured Starkey a position as an apprentice machinist at Henry Hunt and Son, a Liverpool school equipment manufacturer. While working at the facility Starkey befriended Roy Trafford, and the two bonded over their shared interest in music. Trafford introduced Starkey to skiffle, and he quickly became a fervent admirer.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Soon after Trafford piqued Starkey's interest in skiffle, the two began rehearsing songs in the manufacturing plant's cellar during their lunch breaks. Trafford recalled: "I played a guitar, and [Ritchie] just made a noise on a box ... Sometimes, he just slapped a biscuit tin with some keys, or banged on the backs of chairs." The pair were joined by Starkey's neighbour and co-worker, the guitarist Eddie Miles, forming the Eddie Miles Band, later renamed Eddie Clayton and the Clayton Squares after a Liverpool landmark. The band performed popular skiffle songs such as "Rock Island Line" and "Walking Cane", with Starkey raking a thimble across a washboard, creating primitive, driving rhythms. Starkey enjoyed dancing as his parents had years earlier, and he and Trafford briefly took dance lessons at two schools. Though the lessons were short-lived, they provided Starkey and Trafford with an introduction that allowed them to dance competently while enjoying nights out on the town.


title: Ringo Starr

text: On Christmas Day 1957, Graves gave Starkey a second-hand drum kit consisting of a snare drum, bass drum and a makeshift cymbal fashioned from a rubbish bin lid. Although basic and crude, the kit facilitated his progression as a musician while increasing the commercial potential of the Eddie Clayton band, who went on to book prestigious local gigs before the skiffle craze faded in early 1958 as American rock and roll became popular in the UK.


title: Ringo Starr

text: In November 1959, Starkey joined Al Caldwell's Texans, a skiffle group who were looking for someone with a proper drum kit so that the group could transition from one of Liverpool's best-known skiffle acts to a full-fledged rock and roll band. They had begun playing local clubs as the Raging Texans, then Jet Storm and the Raging Texans before settling on Rory Storm and the Hurricanes shortly before recruiting Starkey. About this time he adopted the stage name Ringo Starr; derived from the rings he wore and also because it implied a country and western influence. His drum solos were billed as "Starr Time".


title: Ringo Starr

text: By early 1960, the Hurricanes had become one of Liverpool's leading bands. In May, they were offered a three-month residency at a Butlins holiday camp in Wales. Although initially reluctant to accept the residency and end his five-year machinist apprenticeship that he had begun four years earlier, Starr eventually agreed to the arrangement. The Butlins gig led to other opportunities for the band, including an unpleasant tour of US Air Force bases in France about which Starr commented: "The French don't like the British; at least I didn't like them." The Hurricanes became so successful that when initially offered a highly coveted residency in Hamburg, they turned it down because of their prior commitment with Butlins. They eventually accepted, joining the Beatles at Bruno Koschmiders Kaiserkeller on 1 October 1960, where Starr first met the band. Storm's Hurricanes were given top-billing over the Beatles, who also received less pay. Starr performed with the Beatles during a few stand-in engagements while in Hamburg. On 15 October 1960, he drummed with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, recording with them for the first time while backing Hurricanes singer Lu Walters on the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward aria "Summertime". During Starr's first stay in Hamburg he also met Tony Sheridan, who valued his drumming abilities to the point of asking Starr to leave the Hurricanes and join his band.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Starr quit Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in January 1962 and briefly joined Sheridan in Hamburg before returning to the Hurricanes for a third season at Butlins. On 14 August, Starr accepted Lennon's invitation to join the Beatles. On 16 August, Beatles manager Brian Epstein fired their drummer, Pete Best, who recalled: "He said 'I've got some bad news for you. The boys want you out and Ringo in.' He said [Beatles producer] George Martin wasn't too pleased with my playing [and] the boys thought I didn't fit in." Starr first performed as a member of the Beatles on 18 August 1962, at a horticultural society dance at Port Sunlight. After his appearance at the Cavern Club the following day, Best fans, upset by his firing, held vigils outside his house and at the club shouting "Pete forever! Ringo never!" Harrison received a black eye from one upset fan, and Epstein, whose car tyres they had flattened in anger, temporarily hired a bodyguard.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Starr's first recording session as a member of the Beatles took place on 4 September 1962. He stated that Martin had thought that he "was crazy and couldn't play ... because I was trying to play the percussion and the drums at the same time, we were just a four-piece band". For their second recording session with Starr, on 11 September 1962, Martin replaced him with session drummer Andy White while recording takes for what would be the two sides of the Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do", backed with "P.S. I Love You". Starr played tambourine on "Love Me Do" and maracas on "P.S. I Love You". Concerned about his status in the Beatles, he thought: "That's the end, they're doing a Pete Best on me." Martin later clarified: "I simply didn't know what Ringo was like and I wasn't prepared to take any risks."


title: Ringo Starr

text: By November 1962, Starr had been accepted by Beatles fans, who were now calling for him to sing. He began receiving an amount of fan mail equal to that of the others, which helped to secure his position within the band. Starr considered himself fortunate to be on the same "wavelength" as the other Beatles: "I had to be, or I wouldn't have lasted. I had to join them as people as well as a drummer." He was given a small percentage of Lennon and McCartney's publishing company, Northern Songs, but derived his primary income during this period from a one-quarter share of Beatles Ltd, a corporation financed by the band's net concert earnings. He commented on the nature of his lifestyle after having achieved success with the Beatles: "I lived in nightclubs for three years. It used to be a non-stop party." Like his father, Starr became well known for his late-night dancing and he received praise for his skills.


title: Ringo Starr

text: During 1963, the Beatles enjoyed increasing popularity in Britain. In January, their second single, "Please Please Me", followed "Love Me Do" into the UK charts and a successful television appearance on "Thank Your Lucky Stars" earned favourable reviews, leading to a boost in sales and radio play. By the end of the year, the phenomenon known as Beatlemania had spread throughout the country, and by February 1964 the Beatles had become an international success when they performed in New York City on "The Ed Sullivan Show" to a record 73 million viewers. Starr commented: "In the States I know I went over well. It knocked me out to see and hear the kids waving for me. I'd made it as a personality ... Our appeal ... is that we're ordinary lads." He was a source of inspiration for several songs written at the time, including Penny Valentine's "I Want To Kiss Ringo Goodbye" and Rolf Harris's "Ringo for President". Cher released her first single, "Ringo, I Love You" in 1964 under the pseudonym Bonnie Joe Mason.


title: Ringo Starr

text: In 1964, "I love Ringo" lapel pins were the bestselling Beatles merchandise. The prominent placing of the Ludwig logo on the bass drum of his American import drum kit gave the company such a burst of publicity that it became the dominant drum manufacturer in North America for the next twenty years. During live performances, the Beatles continued the "Starr Time" routine that had been popular among his fans: Lennon would place a microphone in front of Starr's kit in preparation for his spotlight moment and audiences would erupt in screams. When the Beatles made their film debut in "A Hard Day's Night", Starr garnered praise from critics, who considered his delivery of deadpan one-liners and his non-speaking scenes highlights. The extended non-speaking sequences had to be arranged by director Richard Lester because of Starr's lack of sleep the previous night; Starr commented: "Because I'd been drinking all night I was incapable of saying a line." Epstein attributed Starr's acclaim to "the little man's quaintness". After the release of the Beatles' second feature film, "Help!" (1965), Starr won a "Melody Maker" poll against his fellow Beatles for his performance as the central character in the film.


title: Ringo Starr

text: During an interview with "Playboy" in 1964, Lennon explained that Starr had filled in with the Beatles when Best was ill; Starr replied: "[Best] took little pills to make him ill". Soon after, Best filed a libel suit against him that lasted four years before the court reached an undisclosed settlement in Best's favour. In June, the Beatles were scheduled to tour Denmark, the Netherlands, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Before the start of the tour, Starr was stricken with a high-grade fever, pharyngitis and tonsillitis, and briefly stayed in a local hospital, followed by several days of recuperation at home. He was temporarily replaced for five concerts by 24-year-old session drummer Jimmie Nicol. Starr was discharged from the hospital and rejoined the band in Melbourne on 15 June. He later said that he feared he would be permanently replaced during his illness. In August, the Beatles were introduced to American songwriter Bob Dylan, who offered the group cannabis cigarettes. Starr was the first to try one but the others were hesitant.


title: Ringo Starr

text: On 11 February 1965, Starr married Maureen Cox, whom he had met in 1962. By this time the stress and pressure of Beatlemania had reached a peak for him. He received a telephoned death threat before a show in Montreal, and resorted to positioning his cymbals vertically in an attempt to defend against would-be assassins. The constant pressure affected the Beatles' performances; Starr commented: "We were turning into such bad musicians ... there was no groove to it." He was also feeling increasingly isolated from the musical activities of his bandmates, who were moving past the traditional boundaries of rock music into territory that often did not require his accompaniment; during recording sessions he spent hours playing cards with their road manager Neil Aspinall and roadie Mal Evans while the other Beatles perfected tracks without him. In a letter published in "Melody Maker", a fan asked the Beatles to let Starr sing more; he replied: "[I am] quite happy with my one little track on each album".


title: Ringo Starr

text: In August 1966, the Beatles released "Revolver", their seventh UK LP. It included the song "Yellow Submarine", their only British number-one single with Starr as the lead singer. Later that month, owing to the increasing pressures of touring, the Beatles gave their final concert, a 30-minute performance at San Francisco Candlestick Park. Starr commented: "We gave up touring at the right time. Four years of Beatlemania were enough for anyone." By December he had moved to a larger estate called Sunny Heights, in size, at St George's Hill in Weybridge, Surrey, near to Lennon. Although he had equipped the house with many luxury items, including numerous televisions, light machines, film projectors, stereo equipment, a billiard table, go-kart track and a bar named the Flying Cow, he did not include a drum kit; he explained: "When we don't record, I don't play."


title: Ringo Starr

text: For the Beatles' seminal 1967 album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", Starr sang lead vocals on the Lennon–McCartney composition "With a Little Help from My Friends". Although the Beatles had enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success with "Sgt. Pepper", the long hours they spent recording the LP contributed to Starr's increased feeling of alienation within the band; he commented: "[It] wasn't our best album. That was the peak for everyone else, but for me it was a bit like being a session musician ... They more or less direct me in the style I can play." His inability to compose new material led to his input being minimised during recording sessions; he often found himself relegated to adding minor percussion effects to songs by McCartney, Lennon and Harrison. During his downtime, Starr worked on his guitar playing, and said: "I jump into chords that no one seems to get into. Most of the stuff I write is twelve-bar".


title: Ringo Starr

text: Epstein's death in August 1967 left the Beatles without management; Starr remarked: "[It was] a strange time for us, when it's someone who we've relied on in the business, where we never got involved." Soon afterwards, the band began an ill-fated film project, "Magical Mystery Tour". Starr's growing interest in photography led to his billing as the movie's Director of Photography, and his participation in the film's editing was matched only by that of McCartney. In February 1968, Starr became the first Beatle to sing on another artist's show without the others. He sang the Buck Owens hit "Act Naturally", and performed a duet with Cilla Black, "Do You Like Me Just a Little Bit?" on her BBC One television programme, "Cilla".


title: Ringo Starr

text: In November 1968, Apple Records released "The Beatles", commonly known as the "White Album". The album was partly inspired by the band's recent interactions with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. While attending the Maharishi's intermediate course at his ashram in Rishikesh, India, they enjoyed one of their most prolific writing periods, composing most of the album there. Starr left after ten days, but completed his first recorded Beatles song, "Don't Pass Me By". During the recording of the White Album, relations within the Beatles deteriorated; at times only one or two members were involved in the recording for a track. Starr had grown weary of McCartney's increasingly overbearing approach and Lennon's passive-aggressive behaviour, exacerbated by Starr's resentment of the near-constant presence of Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono. After one particularly difficult session during which McCartney harshly criticised his drumming, Starr quit the Beatles for two weeks, holidaying with his family in Sardinia on a boat loaned by actor Peter Sellers. During a lunch break the chef served octopus, which Starr refused to eat; a conversation with the ship's captain about the animal inspired Starr's "Abbey Road" composition "Octopus's Garden", which Starr wrote on guitar during the trip. He returned to the studio two weeks later to find that Harrison had covered his drum kit in flowers as a welcome-back gesture.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Despite a temporary return to congeniality during the completion of the White Album, production of the Beatles' fourth feature film, "Let It Be", and its accompanying LP, further strained band relationships. On 20 August 1969, the Beatles gathered for the final time at Abbey Road Studios for a mixing session for "I Want You". At a business meeting on 20 September, Lennon told the others that he had quit the Beatles, although the band's break-up would not become public knowledge until McCartney's announcement on 10 April 1970 that he was also leaving.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Shortly before McCartney announced his exit from the Beatles in April 1970, he and Starr had a falling out due to McCartney's refusal to cede the release date of his eponymous solo album to allow for Starr's debut, "Sentimental Journey", and the Beatles' "Let It Be". Starr's album – composed of renditions of pre-rock standards that included musical arrangements by Quincy Jones, Maurice Gibb, George Martin and McCartney – peaked at number seven in the UK and number 22 in the US. Starr followed "Sentimental Journey" with the country-inspired "Beaucoups of Blues", engineered by Scotty Moore and featuring renowned Nashville session musician Pete Drake. Despite favourable reviews, the album was a commercial failure. Starr subsequently combined his musical activities with developing a career as a film actor.


title: Ringo Starr

text: Starr played drums on Lennon's "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" (1970), Ono's "Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band" (1970), and on Harrison's albums "All Things Must Pass" (1970), "Living in the Material World" (1973) and "Dark Horse" (1974). In 1971, Starr participated in the Concert for Bangladesh, organised by Harrison, and with him co-wrote the hit single "It Don't Come Easy", which reached number four in both the US and the UK. The following year he released his most successful UK hit, "Back Off Boogaloo" (again produced and co-written by Harrison), which peaked at number two (US number nine). Having become friends with the English singer Marc Bolan, Starr made his directorial debut with the 1972 T. Rex documentary "Born to Boogie".


title: Ringo Starr

text: In 1973 and 1974, Starr had two number one hits in the US: "Photograph", a UK number eight hit co-written with Harrison, and "You're Sixteen", written by the Sherman Brothers. Starr's third million-selling single in the US, "You're Sixteen" was released in the UK in February 1974 where it peaked at number four. Both tracks appeared on Starr's debut rock album, "Ringo", produced by Richard Perry and featuring further contributions from Harrison as well as a song each from Lennon and McCartney. A commercial and critical success, the LP also included "Oh My My", a US number five. The album reached number seven in the UK and number two in the US. Author Peter Doggett describes "Ringo" as a template for Starr's solo career, saying that, as a musician first rather than a songwriter, "he would rely on his friends and his charm, and if both were on tap, then the results were usually appealing".


title: Ringo Starr

text: "Goodnight Vienna" followed in 1974 and was also successful, reaching number eight in the US and number 30 in the UK. Featuring contributions from Lennon, Elton John and Harry Nilsson, the album included a cover of the Platters' "Only You (And You Alone)", which peaked at number six in the US and number 28 in the UK, and Hoyt Axton's "No No Song", which was a US number three and Starr's seventh consecutive top-ten hit. The Elton John-written "Snookeroo" failed to chart in the UK, however. During this period Starr became romantically involved with Lynsey de Paul. He played tambourine on a song she wrote and produced for Vera Lynn, "Don't You Remember When", and he inspired another De Paul song, "If I Don't Get You the Next One Will", which she described as being about revenge after he missed a dinner appointment with her because he was asleep in his office.