The Tragic & Mysterious Death Of Beatles' Roadie Mal Evans

Author Ken Womack ("Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans") tells the tragic story of the tragic & mysterious death of Beatles roadie Mal Evans. For a backstory, below is an article by Ultimate Classic Rock's Jeff Giles:

To Beatles fans who pined for an opportunity to be closer to the band, their road manager-turned-personal assistant Mal Evans might have seemed like one of the luckiest guys on Earth — but his luck ran out Jan. 5, 1976, in a bizarre confrontation with Los Angeles police that ended in his death.

Evans first spotted the Beatles during a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and after striking up a friendship with George Harrison, he got his first band-related gig when Harrison recommended that the club owner hire Evans to be the doorman. Big but gentle, he made a perfectly imposing presence, and by 1963, he'd come on board as the group's full-time bodyguard.

That job quickly turned into Evans becoming the Beatles' road manager, where he worked in concert with Neil Aspinall to ensure that every aspect of the band's travel time was as enjoyable as possible. From driving the group to gigs and lugging gear to setting up the venue and making sure they had whatever they needed, he quickly became an essential part of their inner circle — even if his salary didn't necessarily reflect his importance.

Over time, Evans appeared in Beatles movies and contributed to various albums in a number of ways, from adding odd sound effects — like ringing the alarm clock on "A Day in the Life" — to helping organize the various celebrity portraits for the front cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. After the Beatles ceased touring and started Apple Records, he was officially promoted again, becoming the band's personal assistant and fulfilling a variety of label-related tasks — including discovering Badfinger and producing some of their early recordings.

As the band splintered, however, Evans' role with Apple sputtered to a stop. He was fired (and later reinstated) by manager Allen Klein, and ultimately ended up moving to Los Angeles after separating from his wife. While living there, he became part of the loose confederacy of rock vets who formed the backdrop for John Lennon's "lost weekend" period, becoming particularly close with Harry Nilsson.

During this period, Evans was also working on his memoirs, which were to be titled Living the Beatles Legend and were scheduled to be delivered to his publishers on Jan. 12, 1976. Unfortunately, he also suffered periods of deep depression, exacerbated by career setbacks (he was Keith Moon's first choice to produce his solo album, but was ultimately fired) and feelings of isolation.

It all came to a head on Jan. 5, when Evans is said to have phoned his co-writer, John Hoernie, and — while drunk and under the influence of Valium — conducted a conversation that left Hoernie worried enough that he headed over to Evans' apartment. After Hoernie arrived, Evans brandished a weapon — whether it was an air rifle or an actual rifle remains contested — and his girlfriend, Fran Hughes, called the police. Refusing to drop his gun after officers arrived on the scene, Evans was shot and killed.

NOTE: According to Womack, the often-reported date of Evans' death has been incorrectly reported as January 5th but is actually January 4th.

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