The document formalizing the separation of the Beatles put on sale

The Beatles requiem exists. It is an administrative document dated December 29, 1974. Estimated between 300,000 and 500,000 dollars, two pages of this historic act of dissolution, which puts an end to the group's contract with Apple, will be auctioned on June 30 on the site sales outlet Gotta Have Rock and Roll, specializing in the musical memorabilia trade.

The quartet formed in the late 1950s broke up in 1969. But financial disputes - and some tax concerns - delayed the signing of the document formalizing the group's dissolution for several years. It is thus necessary to wait five years so that the Beatles reach the agreement.

The signing itself was slow and took place in three stages. Ringo Starr first signs the document which arrives December 19, 1974 at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, New York, where Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon are expected to complete it. But the latter is missing. John Lennon, however, does not live far away. Whatever; he changes his mind, procrastinates. “The stars are not aligned”, he mentions then. The lawyer for the former Beatles brings him the famous document ten days later, while he is on vacation in Florida, at Disney World.

His girlfriend at the time, May Pang is present at that time. “The friendship was always there. They were brothers. There was no animosity. And though they all felt they had to go their separate ways to take the next step in their musical careers, John had started this world-changing band, she then testified according to a notice from the house of sale Sotheby's, which sold another signed page of the deal in 2018. So when he sat down to sign, he knew it was over. It was the last signing. He was the one who had created the group, it was up to him to finish it. »

Other documents belonging to the Beatles are on sale on the site, such as the handwritten list of songs played during a concert in 1963 or a copy of the White Album signed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.