Claim: My Sweet Lord was written by a former member of The Beatles.

George Harrison , -LRB- 25 February 1943 -- 29 November 2001 -RRB- was an English guitarist , singer , songwriter , and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles . Often referred to as `` the quiet Beatle '' , Harrison embraced Hinduism and helped broaden the horizons of his fellow Beatles as well as their Western audience by incorporating Indian instrumentation in their music . Although most of the Beatles ' songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney , most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions . His songs for the group included `` Taxman '' , `` Within You Without You '' , `` While My Guitar Gently Weeps '' , `` Here Comes the Sun '' and `` Something '' , the last of which became the Beatles ' second-most covered song .   Harrison 's earliest musical influences included George Formby and Django Reinhardt ; Carl Perkins , Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry were subsequent influences . By 1965 he had begun to lead the Beatles into folk rock through his interest in the Byrds and Bob Dylan , and towards Indian classical music through his use of the sitar on `` Norwegian Wood -LRB- This Bird Has Flown -RRB- '' . Having initiated the band 's embracing of transcendental meditation in 1967 , he subsequently developed an association with the Hare Krishna movement . After the band 's break-up in 1970 , Harrison released the triple album All Things Must Pass , a critically acclaimed work that produced his most successful hit single , `` My Sweet Lord '' , and introduced his signature sound as a solo artist , the slide guitar . He also organised the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Indian musician Ravi Shankar , a precursor for later benefit concerts such as Live Aid . In his role as a music and film producer , Harrison produced acts signed to the Beatles ' Apple record label before founding Dark Horse Records in 1974 and co-founding HandMade Films in 1978 .   Harrison released several best-selling singles and albums as a solo performer , and in 1988 co-founded the platinum-selling supergroup the Traveling Wilburys . A prolific recording artist , he was featured as a guest guitarist on tracks by Badfinger , Ronnie Wood and Billy Preston , and collaborated on songs and music with Dylan , Eric Clapton , Ringo Starr and Tom Petty , among others . Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the `` 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time '' . He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee -- as a member of the Beatles in 1988 , and -LRB- posthumously -RRB- for his solo career in 2004 .   Harrison 's first marriage , to model Pattie Boyd in 1966 , ended in divorce in 1977 . The following year he married Olivia Harrison -LRB- née Arias -RRB- , with whom he had one son , Dhani . Harrison died in 2001 , aged 58 , from lung cancer . He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India , in a private ceremony according to Hindu tradition . He left an estate of almost # 100 million .