Maureen Cleave was a music journalist who was a confidante of the Beatles, having written about them since their early days of fame.
- Died: November 6, 2021 (Who else died on November 6?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in Aldeburgh, England at the age of 87.
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Beatles and beyond
Cleave worked for the London Evening Standard, where she began writing the column “Disc Date” in 1961. She was among the first journalists to write seriously about rock and pop music, as well as one of the first to cover the Beatles. She first wrote about the band in 1963, and she developed a relationship with the band members as she interviewed them a number of times over the next three years. The band discovered that her apartment was a safe place to hide from hordes of fans, and they did so often. It was Cleave who conducted the 1966 interview with John Lennon (1940–1980) in which he said the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” Cleave also interviewed notable musicians including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Rolling Stones, and Little Richard (1932–2020).
Cleave on interviewing the Beatles
“Lennon was the most interesting of them, imperious, unpredictable, indolent, disorganised, childish, vague, arrogant and very good at answering back.” —as quoted in the Guardian
Tributes to Maureen Cleave
Full obituary: The New York Times
