"Geoffrey Maitland Smith - Personal accountant to Paul McCartney ..." died last month and his obit appears in today's Times (p57).  It's an interesting read - with insights into the aftermath of Brian Epstein's death and the Beatles' break-up. He was also involved in an attempt to buy Northern Songs, the company with rights to the Beatles' songs in 1981 - but he failed: "marvellous songs, which people are still humming and will go on humming for years to come" he said.