Harrison Leaves 20m Pounds To Hare Krishnas

July 6, 2003

Beatle George Harrison's estimated 214-million-pound ($304 million) estate will be divided between his nearest family and the Hare Krishna faith he embraced in the late 1960s, the British press said on Tuesday.

According to reports from New York, quoted in the Daily Telegraph, Harrison's will called for the bulk of his estate to be left to his wife, Olivia, and their 24-year-old son Dhani.

Both were on their way to the Indian city of Varanisi to scatter some of the former-Beatle's ashes on the river Ganges.

The Times said that Harrison left instructions for 10 percent of his wealth, some 20 million pounds to be distributed to the Hare Krishnas, whom he supported spiritually and financially for more than 30 years.

The money is expected to be distributed by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to temples across the world, the Times said.

The sect will receive a proportion of future earnings from Harrison's music, the paper added.

Relatives of the Beatles' lead guitarist called for a minute of meditation on Monday to mark his death last week from cancer.

Saying they were "deeply touched" by the global outpouring of love and compassion following his death, Olivia and Dhani Harrison urged fans to pay silent tribute to the legendary musician, who died on Thursday at the age of 58. ( AFP )