The Beatles lost a member.
The Beatles . With members John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr , they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential act of the rock era . The core of Lennon , McCartney and Harrison went through a succession of drummers , including Pete Best , before asking Starr to join them in 1962 . After their break-up in 1970 , they each enjoyed successful musical careers of varying lengths . Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980 , and Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001 .