Paul McCartney just posted a message to his official website regarding the death of musician Tony Sheridan: “Tony was a good guy who we knew and worked with from the early days in Hamburg. We regularly watched his late night performances and admired his style. He will be missed.” Sheridan died over the weekend.

For those unfamiliar with Sheridan, he was a singer/guitarist who befriended The Beatles when the pre-Fab Four went to Germany in 1961. The Beatles regularly were Sheridan’s backing band at his performances during that time, and also recorded a rendition of the ballad “My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean” with him. That recording, originally credited to “Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers,” was released as a single, and eventually brought the band to the attention of their early manager, Brian Epstein.  You can hear “My Bonnie” on The Beatles Anthology 1.

A Tony Sheridan Facebook page, started just a few days ago, posted a message on Sunday (February 17) saying “Our beloved father and friend! Thank you for your love and inspiration. You left us on the 16th of February, at 12:00 pm.”

– Brian Ives, Radio.com