Claim: The Beatles were a band.

Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe -LRB- 23 June 1940 -- 10 April 1962 -RRB- was a British painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist for the Beatles . Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a painter , having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art . Sutcliffe and John Lennon are credited with inventing the name , `` Beetles '' , as they both liked Buddy Holly 's band , the Crickets . The band used this name for a while until Lennon decided to change the name to `` the Beatles '' , from the word beat . As a member of the group when it was a five-piece band , Sutcliffe is one of several people sometimes referred to as the `` Fifth Beatle '' .   When he performed with the Beatles in Hamburg , he met photographer Astrid Kirchherr , to whom he was later engaged . After leaving the Beatles , he enrolled in the Hamburg College of Art , studying under future pop artist Eduardo Paolozzi , who later wrote a report stating that Sutcliffe was one of his best students . Sutcliffe earned other praise for his paintings , which mostly explored a style related to abstract expressionism .   While studying in Germany , Sutcliffe began experiencing severe headaches and acute sensitivity to light . In April 1962 , he collapsed in the middle of an art class after complaining of head pains . German doctors performed various checks , but were unable to determine the exact cause of his headaches . On 10 April 1962 , he was taken to the hospital , but died in the ambulance on the way . The cause of death was later revealed to have been an aneurysm in his brain 's right hemisphere .