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Lady Judy Martin, the wife of late Beatles manager Sir George Martin, passed away at the age of 95 on Sunday, October 29, 2023. The former Abbey Road secretary died seven years after her husband's passing in 2016.
Sir George Martin was an English record producer and composer, who was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because he was heavily involved in each of the Beatles' original albums, as per BBC.
The pair had been married since June 24, 1966, and had two children, Lucie and Giles. Many tributes poured in as the news of Lady Judy Martin's passing was posted on the internet.
Lady Judy Martin met her husband while she was working at EMI Studios
Lady Judy Martin and Sir George met in 1950 on his first day working at the EMI Studios, where she worked as a secretary. Back then, Sir George had a wife named Sheena Chisholm. However, in 1962, Martin left his then-wife of 14 years, and their children Alexis and Greg, for a new life with Lady Judy Martin, who was his office secretary, as per The Sun.
George met the Beatles members - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr - that same year.
Lady Judy Martin tied the knot with George Martin at the Marylebone Registry Office in June 1966. The couple went on to have two children, Giles and Lucie.
Kenneth Womack, author of the book, Beatles, wrote in the piece Maximum Volume that Sir George Martin was known as the "Fifth Beatle" because of all his contributions to the band:
"I think at times he was the third or fourth Beatle - and I don’t mean that as any kind of negative critique of anyone else’s contribution.”
As per Forbes, Kenneth added in Maximum Volume:
"He was integral to the Fab Four’s success and they might well have never been the best-selling band in history (with more than 800 million records shifted) had it not been for his musical genius and business skill."
Lady Judy Martin and the musician stayed together for more than 50 years. As reported by The Sun, over the years following their marriage, Sir George also worked with artists like Sting, Celine Dion, and Elton John.
George Martin passed away at the age of 90 on March 8, 2016.
Lady Judy Martin died on October 29, 2023. As soon as the news became public, tributes poured in for her, with Liverpool Beatles Museum tweeting:
"Very sad news to hear of the passing of Lady Judy Martin. Reunited with George. Our thoughts and prayers our with the Martin family. May she RIP."
There is not much known about Lady Judy's birthplace and personal life.
As per multiple sources, in 2018, she had to lock herself in a bathroom at her marital home during an alleged burglary. As per The Sun, two intruders burst into the house in Coleshill, Warwickshire, while she was watching TV.
Fortunately, Lady Judy was left unhurt during the incident and the burglars fled empty-handed after she dialed 999 and the police arrived within minutes. The robbers were never caught despite support from a police helicopter with a thermal imaging camera, as per BBC.
The Beatles achieved global success with George Martin as head of the Parlophone record label. He signed the band after hearing their demo tape in 1962, taking a chance on the young band when they had been refused by every other record label, as per Forbes.
