One generous act being discussed is the time he bought John’s piano from a private collector for a whopping £1.45m.
George Michael bought the piano, which became known as the ‘John Lennon Piano’, so that it would stay in the UK. Incredible donation to The Beatles Story - just one of several stories of star's generosity
He then donated it to the Beatles Story museum in Liverpool so that it would stay in Lennon’s home city forever.
John is said to have loved the piano’s honky tonk sound as it reminded him of early American Rock and Rhythm & Blues. Originally
a traditional upright made by the New England Piano company, it had
been converted by inserting tacks into the hammers to give it a
harpsichord-like percussive sound.Not only can the piano be
heard on Walls and Bridges and Double Fantasy but John also used
it to compose songs with Elton John and David Bowie. On the day
he died, John spent many hours working at the piano on Walking On
Thin Ice, the final cut of which he was holding when he was shot. The
song was later released by Yoko Ono and became a critical and commercial
success.
Speaking when the piano was returned to the museum, Martin King, the
director of The Beatles Story, said: “It was one of John’s favourites
and played by other major artists too. It will be a busy time for us.”
The piano was also used by a number of other artists including Bob
Dylan, Pete Townsend, Cheap Tricks, Aerosmith, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper
and Don McLean, who used it on his American Pie sessions.
The story was among several accounts of the star's generosity, many of which were kept secret due to his own modesty.
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