Musician. He was the Beatles' original bassist. Although a brilliant young painter, who died before his career had begun to blossom, he will always be better-known as the first bass player with the Beatles, a British rock band debuting in the early 1960s. Recognized for his artistic ability even as a child, Sutcliffe was a gifted and revolutionary musician. As an avid follower of the Beat Movement, and well-versed in the Impressionists, he left a strong and lasting influence on his colleague John Lennon, a long-time friend. In 1959, a painting by him was selected for the John Moores Exhibition, one of the biggest art exhibitions in Liverpool at the time. Eventually, his painting was bought by Moores himself, allowing him to use part of the £65 payment to make a down payment on a Hofner 333 bass guitar. His talent for music was decidedly lacking compared to his talent with the canvas. By 1960, the Beatles had made their way to a residency in Hamburg, Germany. There he met his idol, artist Edouardo Paolozzi, who was impressed enough with his work to get him into the State Art College, with a grant from the Hamburg City Council. He would then paint during the day, and play bass at night with the Beatles. Eventually the pace became too much for him, and he left the band to stay in Hamburg and paint, with Paul McCartney inheriting the job of bass player. He also met the love of his life, Astrid Kirchherr, later to gain fame with her early photographs of the band. In November of 1960, the couple became formally engaged. All throughout 1961, he suffered severe headaches, even fainting in Paolozzi's master class. By February of 1962, he was no longer able to attend Art College. The following month, he suffered spells of blindness, but specialists were unable to determine the cause. A brain tumor was suspected, but X-rays revealed nothing. On April 10th, he died in Astrid's arms, while being transported to a hospital in an ambulance. Eighteen months later, a review of his earlier X-rays revealed an overlooked small brain aneurysm. The coroner's report indicated that the young artist died from a cerebral hemorrhage from the ruptured aneurysm. Had he lived, his fame with the brush would almost certainly have eclipsed his posthumous fame with the bass. As a tribute by the surviving Beatles, his image, along with the images of 86 other celebrities, appears on the album cover of their masterpiece, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."