Hundreds of people gathered in Liverpool city centre for the unveiling of a new Brian Epstein statue.
Crowds lined Whitechapel this morning ahead of the unveiling which comes on International Beatle Week. Epstein, who would have been 88, became The Beatles manager in 1961 after seeing them play in the Cavern Club.
The new statue will celebrate his legacy and stand at the corner of Button Street and Whitechapel. Crowds sang Beatles hits including Help! Twist and Shout and Hey Jude as the statue was unveiled.
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It was sculpted by Andy Edwards, also responsible for The Fab Four statue of John, Paul, George and Ringo at Liverpool’s Pier Head. Made from bronze by Castle Foundry of Liverpool, the statue measures 1.94m. Born in Liverpool in 1934, Epstein also played a key role in the city’s wider music scene which included acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, The Moody Blues and The Chants.
As a gay man living at time when homosexuality was illegal, Epstein faced many personal challenges. This will be the first statue of an LGBTQ+ figure in Liverpool city centre.
The statue campaign has been led for the last 5 years by the Brian Epstein Legacy Project. It was made possible after a public Crowdfunding campaign, funding from Bill Heckle at The Cavern and match funding from Liverpool BID company.
Tom Calderban, Project Manager of The Brian Epstein Legacy Project, said: “On behalf of the committee which has worked so hard to achieve this goal, we would like to thank every single person and organisation who has supported us on our five year journey.
“We are absolutely delighted to see this finally come to fruition. We feel Brian really deserves this honour. His impact on the world of music, art and culture was - and continues to be - overwhelmingly positive, and we believe our debt to him as a city is incalculable.
“We hope this lasting tribute to his legacy is worthy of the man and his achievements, and that people take this wonderful addition to our public realm to their hearts."
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