‘Paranoid’ George Harrison Feared His Own Death For Years Before Tragic Cancer Battle

Beloved Beatle George Harrison died in 2001, just weeks after contracting lung cancer. But according to REELZ’s new docuseries, Autopsy: George Harrison, the famed guitarist spent years worrying about his death after a madman attacked him inside his mansion.

“So far in my investigation, I’ve found that George was a prolific smoker, which would’ve undoubtedly been a trigger for the cancer. I’ve also found that a scar to his lung following a knife attack might have created an environment in which the tumor could’ve grown,” says Autopsy’s Doctor Michael Hunter in the show teaser.

The attack took a toll on Harrison in more ways than one. As RadarOnline.com readers know, a crazed man stabbed the musician inside his own home on December 30, 1999, nearly killing him. His wife, Olivia Harrison, told pals that it only made him more paranoid, as he previously lost longtime friend and The Beatles bandmate, John Lennon to homicide.

“I remember talking to Livy about it. It was very disillusioning for him, you know we’d already lost John Lennon to a nutcase, so I knew this was going to make him more paranoid than ever,” says Harrison’s former friend, Chris O’Dell in the clip.