[Niamh.]

A humble Los Angeles landmark meets a bizarrely fitting end



A tree planted to honor of the memory of the Beatles songwriter George Harrison has been killed by actual beetles. As the Los Angeles Times reports, the living local monument fell victim to an infestation of insects that couldn't be bested. According to Councilman Tom LaBonge, the 10-foot-tall pine planted in 2004 bit the dust only recently, and a new one will be planted in its stead shortly.

Harrison's last years were spent living in L.A. — he died there at 58 in late 2001, and was cremated at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The so-called George Harrison Tree was accompanied by a plaque reading: "In memory of a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist, a musician and a gardener." It includes a quote from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: "For the forest to be green, each tree must be green"

The plaque (and the forthcoming tree) is located near the city's famous Griffith Observatory. The memorial has one very glowing review on Yelp (with photos), which now reads more as a eulogy to the tree that was:

On the day I was there, many tourists and visitors, in fact, walked right by it without noticing it at all. There is no signage that leads people to the tree, and the memorial plaque is near the ground and out-of-sight. Furthermore, I didn't see any buskers or fans with guitars either playing "Here Comes the Sun," "Something," or "My Sweet Lord" (or any of Harrison's many other well known songs). Instead, with my own private thoughts and reflections, I enjoyed that pine tree in peace just as George, I'm sure, would have wanted it.

http://www.spin.com/articles/george-...gn=spintwitter