Royston Ellis began as a poet in the so-called Beat Generation, with a career spanning the 1950s through the 2010s. His primary claim to fame may be his connection to The Beatles, and to John Lennon in particular, but he also wrote dozens of books on travel, works of fiction, biographies, and poetry.
- Died: February 27, 2023 (Who else died on February 27?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 82.
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Royston Ellis’ legacy
Royston Ellis made an impression on British youth from an early age. At 18, he published his first book of poetry, “Jiving to Gyp,” and by the early 1960s he was performing on television. He would read poetry while backed by Cliff Richards’ group, The Shadows, which included a young Jimmy Page, who would go on to form the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.
Ellis also caught the attention of a young John Lennon (1940–1980) of The Beatles. The pair bonded over American beat poets and the rising counterculture movement of the ‘60s. He inspired Lennon’s song, “Paperback Writer,” and claimed to have been the one who suggested the band change the spelling of their name from “Beetles” to “Beatles,” though that claim is disputed.
By 20, Ellis had already moved on from the beatnik scene to focus on travel writing. He traveled the world, penning dozens of biographies, travelogues, guides, and more. He also wrote 20 works of fiction, many of them under the name “Richard Tresillian.” He moved to Sri Lanka in 1979, where he continued to write until 2013.
Tributes to Royston Ellis
Full obituary: The New York Times
